Midnight Mist
by gabrielle004
Summary: Renesmee gets a chance to experience high school, and see what its like to be a "normal" teenager. Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_**Bella**_

"You're moving again, aren't you?" asked Charlie with a hint of worry and disappointment in his voice. I knew this question was coming, even without Edward warning me two hours earlier when Charlie and Jacob had first walked in the door. I knew it had been coming, but I still didn't know how to answer without breaking Charlie's heart.

Slowly I nodded and looked away from my father to Renesmee. Currently she was lounging on the couch next to Jacob, the two of them laughing loudly at the television.

"It's for the best Dad… for all of us." I started without knowing how best to explain.

Charlie shook his head and sighed, and he too turned to face Renesmee. "To think that only six years ago she was just a baby…" His voice trailed off and even though I couldn't read his thoughts, I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.

My baby was only a baby in my mind. In appearance and maturity she seemed to be more around the age of sixteen, a very mature sixteen. Her long, bronze ringlets cascaded down and around her perfectly heart shaped face. Her chocolate brown eyes lit up with every smile and laugh, and her posture and mannerisms were that of a young adult.

"Will you at least try to stay close by?" Charlie asked anxiously. "I know there are other things you have to consider… but I can't imagine being too far away from you Bells."

I tried to smile. I didn't want to worry my father, but in truth I didn't know if it would be possible. We had risked so much in the last move, choosing to stay here in the suburbs of Olympia, so close to Forks… it was a risk we took because of Renesmee. No one wanted to pull her away from Charlie when she was still so young.

It was hard for all of us, the constant feeling of walking on egg shells. What if someone in the city recognized us from Forks? Would they notice that in the last five years, none of the Cullens had aged? Would they notice the little girl that was sometimes in town, the one who seemed to grow at an unexplainable rate?

"When we have a better idea of our plans Dad, you'll be the first to know." I hoped that eased his mind a bit. It was the best I could offer at the moment.

Just then Jacob got up off the couch and headed toward us. He was still the same Jacob I remembered from my human years. Still tall and strong, with short black hair, russet colored skin and dark brown eyes. The only difference was that he no longer felt like my Jacob. That tie, that unexplainable pull towards him didn't exist for me any more. It did exist however for my daughter.

Jacob smiled gently at both Charlie and I, no doubt already knowing what we had been discussing only moments before. "Ready to go Charlie?"

"Sure Jacob. Wouldn't want to miss the game tonight, and Sue would kill me if I was late for dinner again."

I smiled. I was glad to hear that Sue Clearwater loved to cook for Charlie as much as I had. It was nice to know that someone was taking care of him since I had left. Of course I had always secretly wished that something more would come out of Sue and Charlie's constant dinning together, but alas, if I knew my dad as well as I thought I did, he would be more preoccupied with his food than anything else in the room.

Renesmee glided smoothly off the couch and towards Charlie. She pulled him into a hug while placing a hand on his right arm. Charlie nodded slowly she showed him her thoughts.

"I'm going to miss you too, Nessie." He mumbled into her hair and then pulled himself slowly away before he would start to tear up.

Jacob smiled his winning smile at Renesmee before grabbing her in a bear hug. "I'll call you this weekend, see how things are going." Renesmee nodded into his shoulder and smiled.

"Good night, Dad. Good night Jacob." I smiled and waved them goodbye as they headed down the front steps and into Jacob's black mustang. Renesmee and I watched as Charlie and Jacob climbed into the car and drove off, around the corner and down the highway.

I sighed, "Shall we go and meet up with your father then?"

Renesmee nodded and we both headed out the back door and into the night.

It was a cool night in the suburbs of Olympia Washington. The sky was clear and full of stars, the moon a perfect crescent in the navy sky. We both paused for a moment and took a deep breath. The scent of our family members lingered in the air. I could tell instantly which direction Edward and then rest of them had speed off into the forest, and apparently so did Renesmee for she followed the path quickly and without hesitation.

As we ran together in silence, I couldn't help but glance over a few times at my daughter. My daughter, one of a kind: Beautiful, graceful, loving and stubborn. Yes, of all the traits she got from me, her stubbornness seemed to be the most prominent at times. Especially when it came to her father and myslef. Or maybe Carlisle was right… maybe she just was acting as a _normal_ teenager, as if the word normal could ever apply to Renesmee.

Further and further into the forest we ran. I snatched another glance at my daughter, one I hoped would go unnoticed, but of course she was too quick for me.

"Yes Mom?" Renesmee asked, sort of annoyed.

"Nothing." I responded as innocently as I could. I couldn't say anything more, for I knew it would send her off the edge. She didn't like being worried about, and she knew that for the past six months or so, everyone was worrying about her.

"Mom if this is about the whole high school issue again…"

"No Renesmee, it's not that…" I started without knowing where to continue. Luckily for me at that moment the scent of Edward was so strong that we both left the conversation behind us in the forest.

Renesmee's pace quickened, and I followed suit. Suddenly we stumbled into a little clearing and found Edward sitting on a rock, dressed in the most beautiful charcoal gray turtle neck and black pants I had ever seen him in.

He smiled that angel smile of his and looked over at me, his hand held out for mine. I was at his side in an instant and wrapped my arms around his neck. He looked up into my face and smiled, "I thought I'd wait a little bit behind for you both. The others are almost up to Canada by now. Emmett's on the prowl for large grizzlies. How did Charlie take the news?"

I frowned a little, "I didn't exactly tell him anything…" I trialed off feeling embarrassed. I always knew the day would come when I would have to leave Charlie for good. I knew it back then when I was still human, and wishing so much for this immortal life. But it seemed easier then.

Then I didn't have a child, who fell more and more in love with her Grandfather with every passing year. A child who looked forward to spending Christmas and birthdays with Grandpa, and he with her. It was no longer just me leaving Charlie behind, but Renesmee too. I didn't know if he would be able to deal with such emotional pain.

Edward stared up and into my golden eyes, and I into his. I felt the desire stir within me. To take Edward right here in the clearing. To have his arms around me, his kisses washing away my shame. To feel his body so close to mine, rolling around and around with ecstasy… but just then Renesmee's yawn interrupted my thoughts.

Edward seemed almost as lost in lust as I had been, but he too seemed to be aware of our daughter in the same moment. He winked at me and got up off the rock. "Alright, everyone ready to hunt?"

Renesmee nodded sleepily, and we took off north to follow the sent of a herd of unsuspecting deer.

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Silently I walked next to Edward as he carried Renesmee in his arms. She had fallen asleep around two, while lying against a tall oak tree. She had looked like a sleepy angel who had gotten lost in the forest, her pale skin easy to spot in the dark night, her bronze hair shining in the moon light above. I sighed as I watched Edward carry our baby up the stairs and into the house. At five foot five and 120 lbs, she was very light for Edward to bear and yet the expression on his face was somewhat strained. I was just about to ask him what was wrong when I noticed that Renesmee's hand was placed lightly on his arm.

I shook my head. If she knew that her father was listening to her dreams she would go crazy in the morning. And so I kept my mouth shut until Edward had finished laying her in her bed and closed the bedroom door behind him.

"You know you really shouldn't invade her dreams like that." I started in a somewhat accusing tone, though it was really hard to continue with his golden eyes melting away all of my irritation.

"I know," he sighed, grabbing my hand and leading me down the stairs. "I just wanted to see what she was thinking."

I snorted, "And since when have you ever had a problem with that?"

He smirked. "Lately she's been blocking me out fairly well. Well not really blocking me out, but just not thinking of anything specific. She just sort of lets her mind wonder and it's hard to pick out exact thoughts because her mind is fluttering about as fast as her heart."

"So did you get anything from her dreams?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Yes… she's very nervous about fitting in. In high school I mean. She's worried she won't be 'human' enough." He sighed, and I squeezed his hand a little tighter in reassurance.

"She'll be fine. She has the ability to charm the pants off of everyone she meets. And we'll be there along side her, right? She'll have her family with her." I paused and wondered if my little speech was meant more to ease Edward's worries or my own.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and Edward lead me into the dinning room. There seated at the table was the rest of my family. Carlisle sat at the head of the table, with Esme on his right. Rose and Emmett sat quietly together, their hands intertwined on the table top. Alice sat to Carlisle's left, with Jasper by her side. I noticed Alice at once. Her grin was so large it was almost sinister.

Edward suddenly froze at my side. He stared at Alice in shock, and then began to shake his head. "No, no no! Alice you can't do this to me!" he began and everyone turned to stare at Edward now, including myself.

"Oh come _on_, Edward – it's not _that _bad." Replied Alice, as she tried to rearrange her smile.

Carlisle took this moment to speak, "Well Edward, Bella, Alice called this meeting because she said that we would have to make a change in plans…" Carlisle's eyes bounced off of Alice and Edward, waiting for one of them to speak. But instead of saying anything Edward quietly pulled me across the room, where we sat down across from Alice. He shot her a threatening glace, and Alice shrugged.

"It's not like there's anything I can do about it Edward! I just saw what I saw."

"Would one of you care to explain what is going on?" asked Rosalie, in a somewhat bored tone.

"Well…" started off Alice, "it's kind of hard to explain because the vision was about Renesmee…"

My jaw dropped. "You've finally been able to have a vision about Renesmee? Alice that's so wonderful and would give us so much-"

Edward sighed. "It's not like that, love. What Alice saw was more like … our reaction to something that happens to Renesmee…"

"I don't understand." I searched Edward's face, "What do you mean, 'our reactions'"?

Alice giggled. "Well lets just put it this way… there is no way that in a few days time Renesmee is going to pass for a sixteen year old."

I raised an eye brow at Alice, but she seemed to have been shut up by the lethal glare that Edward was sending her.

"I'm sorry Alice I don't think we follow you," replied Carlisle, in a very patient tone, "What do you mean by 'she won't be able to pass for a sixteen year old'? What exactly did you see?"

Alice bit her lip in hesitation. She glanced at Edward but he simply waved his hand in defeat.

"Well what I saw was, Edward freaking out actually… because he saw what the boys in school will be thinking about Renesmee. She'll be … um, hitting puberty real soon. And from what I can tell, she'll be a knockout!"

At this Emmett, Rose and Jasper burst into laughs. Even Esme suppressed a giggle.

"And to think, I thought it was something serious," Emmett chuckled.

Edward turned to me to see my reaction, but I was blank. Not only was my baby no longer a baby, but in a few days time she was going to be man-eater. Okay so maybe that was taking it a little too far. Sure Renesmee had always been pretty, but it was a fair and innocent kind of pretty. Not a drop-dead-eat-your-heart-out kind of pretty. I didn't know if I would be ready for it. Or would she?

Carlisle cleared his throat and the room quieted down, a bit. "So Alice, from what you saw Renesmee will still be able to attend high school… she'll just have to be pushed up a year or two?"

Alice nodded, "There's no way she'll be able to pass for anything less then a senior. And all the better for us then, we'll only have to do senior year again - and then it's off to college." Alice grinned certainly happy with the outcome of her vision.

I was still partially frozen. That had been the plan, of course. It took the last six years for Renesmee's growth to finally slow down to a _normal _rate. Edward and I had spent those years trying to stay hidden away here in the suburbs of Olympia, hoping beyond hope that the neighbors wouldn't realize just how quickly our daughter was growing, or should I say Edward's sister. Eight months ago Renesmee expressed her dire wish to attend high school, to try and live like a human teenager. Of course the entire family was quick to comply – who could ever say no to that child?

Carlisle and Edward both convinced me that the home schooling she had received so far would make her eligible to attend Harvard right away, but her young and innocent appearance, not to mention unwavering stubbornness, made high school our only option.

So the online research had begun. Where would be a good, small town with enough cloudy days to make it possible for the Cullen family to move to? Which town had a decent enough sized hospital so Carlisle wouldn't get bored? Close to a forest full of grizzlies for Emmett? A quick escape into the forest for either Jasper or Renesmee, both of whom were still not used to being around lots of humans at a time?

There did seem to be an answer… and amazingly it wasn't all that far away…

"Bella, love? Are you alright?" Edwards's fingers gently caressed my cheek, sending tingles down my spine.

"Mmm…" I nodded. That was the best I could come up with for the moment; my head was too busy spinning to formulate a proper response.

"So I guess that's that." began Carlisle, "We'll only be spending one year in Hope, British Columbia instead of three. Jasper do you think it's possible for your friend to get us some new papers for Renesmee. I think her birth certificate and passport might need some updating… and she should probably have a driver's license as well."

Jasper nodded, and Rosalie smiled, "Oh she'll love that one! She'll be putting some real mileage on that Cooper once she's allowed to drive during the day."

Emmett looked at Edward and shook his head.

"What's wrong with you? Big deal, your daughter's going to be a knock-out – so what?"

Edward shot a look at Emmett and his hand fisted on the table, "You don't get what Alice saw." He began slowly, "She saw me having to listen to a school full of horny little boys who all want to do perverse things with…" he paused to swallow, "…_her body_. How would you react to_ that_, Em?"

Apparently Emmett would react very badly, considering the way he had suddenly squared his shoulders up and began to breath deeper. Rosalie placed a hand on his arm and that seemed to calm him down, a bit.

"But we're all going to be there with her Edward. She'll be safe and happy. So what if all the boys want her, some times the attention is a good thing, it builds confidence in a woman." Rosalie smirked, and Edward rolled his eyes.

Esme glided down to where I sat and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Are you alright?" she whispered in my ear.

I nodded slowly, and then tried to find the right words, "It's just all so fast… I knew this part would be coming soon, it's been six years after all… but I've just never thought of her dating or wanting to date before… and now it just seems like its weeks away."

"Who said anything about her being _allowed_ to date?" mumbled Edward angrily beside me.

I shot a glace at Edward. That reminded me of something else.

"Jacob?"

Edward turned sour, "He better not even _think _the thought or I swear I will - "

"Son, don't get yourself all worked up over things that have yet to happen." Interjected Esme as she patted Edwards arm, "Jacob knows that even though Renesmee looks and acts mature, that she is still young at heart and in experiences. He seems to really understand that." She smiled and then left to follow Carlisle out of the room.

Edward looked like he doubted that very much, but he said nothing.

I let out a small sigh and rose out of my chair. "Will you play for me, Edward?"

Edward looked up with a confused expression. "You want to dance tonight?"

I tried to hide my smile, "Well what else could we possibly do tonight since this conversation has put you in such a mood."

At that, a smile broke across his perfect face and he stood up and lead me out to the back of the house.

"I can think of one thing I'd love to do with you tonight." He whispered softly in my ear, his breath so warm on my neck. Slowly we walked across the backyard and into the dark forest.

"Oh, really?" I asked feebly, my body already giving into the temptation of his words.

"Oh yes Mrs. Cullen, I can definitely think of something that would take up the entire night, if you don't mind."

Silently we walked, hand in hand till we reached the little clearing from earlier. And there underneath the millions of stars, in a rage of kisses, we were both undressed …


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**_Renesmee_**

I had been awake for three hours now, and in those three hours I still hadn't managed to pack anything away. My room was still the disorganized mess that it had been since two weeks ago, when my father had first told me that I had to start packing up to get ready for the big move. It wasn't that I was slow at packing; I was fairly quick at anything I wanted to do. The problem was that I wasn't sure if I could reduce my bedroom of five years into a stack of cardboard boxes.

Not only was it emotionally hard, but the task seemed physically impossible itself. Especially when I stood, like I was right now, looking into my walk-in closet, thinking, How do you fit fifty pairs of pants, one hundred and forty-five shirts, sweaters and blouses, and thirty-nine dresses into the ten cardboard boxes that Esme had given me? Not to mention the seventy-seven pairs of shoes that I owned…

I sighed, and decided that instead of starting with my closet, I should probably start with something a bit easier. Like maybe my music collection. I hesitated, and stood staring blankly at the row of CDs. It felt wrong to move them from their place, and at first I wanted to walk away and leave it all for tomorrow, but then I closed my eyes, reached out, grabbed a CD and placed it in the box. _There, that wasn't so _bad, I thought to myself.

It only took me ten minutes to organize my CDs into two boxes, a fairly easy task. So I decided to next tackle my DVD collection.

Seventeen minutes and three boxes later, and my DVDs were packed.

I should have felt happy, right? For finally bolting down and getting this done, but as I looked around my room and noticed how suddenly empty it looked, I couldn't help but frown. Why was it so hard? It was all just stuff anyways, none of it was really that important when you considered all the other aspects of my life. So why did I feel so horrible?

I sighed again, and this time didn't hesitate as I grabbed another, larger box and headed for my desk. I unplugged my computer and stuffed it into the box, enclosing the screen in Styrofoam. I then grabbed a fat black marker from my desk and wrote in big bold letters on the top of the box, "Renesmee's Room – Computer – Break it and you're buying me a new one!"

I smiled as I taped the box shut and then went to write similar messages of warning on the other boxes. I knew that the chance of any of my stuff breaking was nil, but at least it put a smile on my face.

I grabbed the seventh box and headed back for my desk. This time I was going to clean it out. At first it was easy, throwing pens and paper, a stapler with staples, hole-puncher, all of the school supplies that I had bought with my mom a month ago in preparation for school, into the box. But then when I looked up to the corkboard that hung over my desk, my heart did a little flip. Colored thumb tacks were scattered across the board, pinning up a dozen pictures, scraps of paper and kick-knacks that had accumulated over the years.

There were pictures of me with my family, at all different stages of my life. Rosalie holding me as a baby… Emmett hanging me upside down by my leg when I was two years old, although I had looked more like a six year old at the time. A photo of me and Alice shopping at Dolce and Gabbana, both of us grinning like two kids in a candy store… Jacob and I last year out at the beach, on one rare sunny day, my skin pale and lightly sparkling beside his dark russet skin.

And then there was my favorite picture, the one of my mother and father at her graduation, when she was still human and able to blush. Esme had given me the candid photo and told me that she had taken it when they hadn't noticed. In the photo my mother was staring up at my father, blushing as his left hand stroked her cheek. He was staring back at her just as intently, like nothing in the world could break his gaze. It was this photo that I loved the most, not just because it was of my parents, but because to me it was proof that some times impossible things could happen. I relished in the fact that my mother and father had met in high school and had loved each other so much that it hadn't mattered that my father was a vampire, and my mother his ultimate prey.

I was so lost in the photo that I hadn't heard the knock at the door, and yet for some reason I wasn't surprised to hear my mother's voice behind me, asking, "How's the packing coming?"

I turned around to face her, the photo still in my hand. I smiled a little and nodded toward the labeled boxes on the floor, "I've finally gotten started, but I'm going to need more boxes."

"There's more downstairs in the dinning room… I could bring some up if you like, and bring these ones down?"

"Sure Mom, thanks." I replied, only to turn back to my desk, place the photo along with the other ones in the box, and hear my mom enter my room again, with new boxes in her hands. Some where down stairs I could hear Emmett chuckle.

"He finds your threats entertaining," my mother explained as she began to assemble to boxes, "he and Jasper are loading the boxes onto the van."

"I especially like the one that says, 'Open this and you die!'" called Emmett from the back yard, his voice floating in through my open window. I walked over to it and peered outside to find Emmett looking up at me and grinning, "I'm tempted to open it and see what you would do, Ness."

I smirked and reminded him, "Don't forget I beat you last time at arm-wrestling." At that he laughed even harder, "Sure you did."

I pulled away from the window, knowing full well that Emmett had let me win the last time we arm wrestled, but it was the best defense I could offer. Ever since I was born it seemed that Emmett loved to wrestle with me, and even though he was ten times stronger than I was, he usually let me win.

Back in my room my mother it seemed had disappeared, or so I thought until I heard some noise coming from the inside of my closet.

"I don't need your help Mom… I can do it by myself." I called into the racks of clothes. She appeared suddenly with an arm full of my sweaters, giving me a sarcastic look that read, "Sure you can". I rolled my eyes and gave up_. If she wants to tackle my closet, let her_, I thought to myself as I emptied out the rest of my room.

Not even an hour later and my room was completely bare. All that was left was my bed with linens and a duffle bag with enough clothes in it for the rest of the week. I looked around the room depressed, and my mother pulled me in for a hug, "Don't be sad, Renesmee… soon you won't have to hind in your room anymore. You'll be free to go out as much as you like."

My mother's words hit me like a lightening bolt; how could I have been so blind? Of course I had dreaded packing up my stuff… my room had been my refuge for five years! Five years spent hiding out from human eyes while my abnormal growth rate raged on. My mother loosed her grip on me and stared into my eyes, no doubt wondering why I had suddenly gone stiff in her arms.

"I'm okay Mom… I just… well it was so hard for me to start packing and I never realized why. But you're right… my room has been my sanctuary for all these years…"

"I know Renesmee, but that will soon change. Next week we leave for Hope, and there you won't have to hide out anymore… none of us will." She smiled a half-smile, but I couldn't help but feel extremely guilty at those words. I hadn't realized before but this move was not only going to set me free, but my mother and father too.

I realized that my left hand was touching her bare arm, when my mother's expression changed with my thoughts. She must have seen what I was thinking… remembering all the years that my mother and father had locked themselves up in this house with me, only leaving to hunt at night. They had been completely dedicated to my education and upbringing, and up to this very moment, I had never realized how much they had sacrificed of themselves for me.

Her smiled widened, "I'd do it all over again if I had too. Nothing in this world is more important to me than you. And it wasn't that much of a sacrifice… not when I got to watch you grow and learn everyday… that was very, very rewarding."

She let go of me and continued to stare at my face as though she was searching for something, it began to worry me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No… nothings wrong." She broke out of her gazed look, smiled and left the room. I stood there, completely confused and then headed to the bathroom. I searched my reflection, looking for whatever it was that my mother was looking for. I couldn't find it.

There, framed in the black bathroom mirror was a pale, thin and boring looking girl. Sure I my hair was different than most humans that I had seen; long, bronzed and in tight ringlets… but everything else seemed pretty average to me. I wasn't blessed with the golden eyes that my family owned; mine never changed color at all. I didn't have the high cheekbones, wide eyes and full lips that vampire women had. My eyes were small and childlike, my lips thin and my cheekbones didn't seem to exist.

And my body - should I even go there? My body was long and lanky looking, unlike my mother who was blessed with womanly curves. I thought about my mother dancing in her studio to my father playing the piano… How many times had I sat and watched my mother spin and twirl, practicing ballet in her beautifully flowing costumes? She always looked like a goddess in her ballet slippers, her curves doing so much for the dance, making her motions seem so fluid and sensual… where I always ended up looking like an awkward kid in leotards.

I sighed and left the bathroom. It wasn't good to let myself get so depressed in matters that couldn't be fixed. I was in fact a half-breed, and it seemed that the human side was winning over the vampire side; who would have thought that the human side stood a chance? Not me, that was for sure. Ever since I was mature enough to realize what I was, I was sure that my vampire qualities would out number my human ones. But that didn't seem to be the case.

I had stopped growing and changing about eight months ago, and although at the time I was happy – because it meant that I could attend high school, and everyone could stop worrying about me – I was also extremely disappointed. I thought I would have looked more immortal.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Every one was busy with the impending move, and so it left me with no one to talk to, and not much to do. The house was near empty as well, and I was left to sit on the floor, watching people walk right past me with either a cell phone in hand or papers. I had individually asked each one of them if they needed my help, and received the same answer eight times over – "No, I'm okay, thanks."

I looked across the room and saw Jasper put on his coat and head for the front door; I beat him to it.

"Are you leaving? Where are you going? Can I come?" I practically begged.

He half-smiled and then shook his head, "Sorry, but I've got a business meeting of sorts… it would be best for you to stay here."

I frowned and opened the front door for him to pass through. "Fine," I grumbled and watched him leave. I closed the front door and headed back for my spot on the floor. I sat there for another hour, bored out of my mind, when Carlisle walked by talking on the phone with some realtor that was selling homes in British Columbia. I could hear both sides of the conversation, and it sounded like the realtor was amazed that he had just sold not one property but _three_, and all to one man.

"_Thank you so much for your business, Doctor Cullen. We can't wait for you and your family to arrive in Hope_," exclaimed the realtor.

Carlisle smiled, "Thank you, we are looking forward to it. Take care." He hung up the phone and smiled my way. "A little bored?"

I nodded, "Is it that obvious?"

He chuckled, "I've never seen you sit so still in all your life."

I sighed, "There's nothing for me to do. I feel so… useless."

"Well if you want, you could phone Jacob for me and tell him that I've found him a condo and a job in Hope. I'm sure he would love to hear it from you," he said and passed me his cell phone.

I took it and dialed Jacob's cell, but it rang and rang. I glanced up at the clock in the other room, over thirty feet away, and noticed that it was six o'clock. Jacob usually got off at five. I heard the double beep that signals the answering machine before it kicks in, and was preparing myself to leave a message when,

"Hello? Hello?" Jacob rushed into the receiver.

"Hey Jacob! How's it going?"

"Ness, hey… I'm good… sorry about not answering sooner, I had the radio cranked up pretty loud."

I smiled, "That's alright. How was work?"

"It was okay… how are you?"

I rolled my eyes, "Dead bored. Everyone here is busy with the move and apparently my help isn't needed."

He chuckled, "Well have you started on your room yet? I'm sure that would be a great help… you've got so much clothes you could probably fill up a whole moving van!"

"Ha, ha." I replied, a little annoyed, "As a matter of fact my room is empty at the moment; and it only filled up half the moving van." He snorted into the receiver and I laughed.

"Anyways, the reason why I called is to tell you that Carlisle was able to get you a job and a place to live in Hope."

"Awesome... Tell the Doctor I said 'thanks'." I could almost feel him grinning on the other side of the phone. "So," he continued after a short pause, "since you're not really doing anything, you feel like going out for some ice cream or something?"

"Hmm… I don't know Jake, dairy usually doesn't really agree with me." It was true, even though I could eat and stomach human food there were some items, like bread and dairy that gave me a gross bloating feeling. Fruits and vegetables on the other hand were usually safe.

"Okay so no ice cream," he chuckled, "I wouldn't want you to get all gassy in my car anyways."

"Ew! You're so gross!" We both started laughing.

"How about a movie tonight? Your choice."

"It was my choice last time, Jake."

"Yeah, but there's nothing good out that I want to see, so you can pick again."

"Alright, a movie it is then. When can you get here?"

"I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. See you soon!"

I hung up the phone and got off the floor. I found Carlisle sitting at the computer and placed his cell phone on the desk, and then headed over to the dinning room to find my parents.

My father was sitting at the mahogany table, a hand full of papers in his hand. He looked up at me when I entered the room and smiled, "Yes you can go, just don't come back too late."

"How late is too late, Dad?" I asked, interested in his response. He could probably tell by my expression alone.

"Hmm… let's say midnight."

My jaw dropped. Did I hear correctly? Did my overprotective father just tell me that I, his only daughter could stay out till midnight? I was flabbergasted.

My father smiled, "You better leave to get dressed before I change my mind."

I did as I was told. I ran to my room, and when I got there I stood frozen in deep thought. My father had just allowed me to stay out till midnight… had hell frozen over? Did pigs suddenly learn how to fly? What on earth had gotten into my Dad?

I snapped out of it pretty quickly, realizing that he may be listening to my thoughts at this very moment and headed to my duffle bag. I rifled through the clothes that my mother had packed, searching for one of my favorite and familiar cotton t-shirts, but came up short. All the clothes that were in the bag were items that I had yet to wear, mostly stuff that had been given to me by Rosalie and Alice.

I pulled out one navy blue shirt and threw it over my head. The deep v-neck looked absolutely pathetic with my lack of cleavage, plus it felt really loose all around. I took it off and rummaged around for something better. I found a grey wrap top that I vaguely remembered receiving for Christmas. I put it on and found again, that my small bust didn't do it justice. At least it felt like cotton.

I searched the bag this time for a pair of jeans, silently praying that I would find a pair that fit me properly. The first one I tried on did, so I stuffed the scattered clothes back into the bag and continued to get ready.

Right on time, I heard Jacob's mustang pull into the drive way. I flew down the stairs and grabbed my favorite beat-up runners that were sitting by the door. I left the house before I put them on, pausing on the porch to tie the laces, and then ran to the car.

I opened to door and threw myself into the passenger seat. Jacob laughed.

"Wow – you really are desperate to get out of the house, aren't you?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_**Renesmee**_

"So, what's it going to be?" asked Jacob, "_A Love Lost_ or that new Bond movie?"

I glanced back and forth between both movie posters, trying to decide which one looked less cheesy. _A Love Lost_ featured the main actors locked in an intense gaze, as a war scene raged on in the background. The new 007 flick didn't look any better. Titled _Red Velvet_ its movie poster displayed three scantily clad German women groping the new James Bond.

I looked at Jacob for some suggestions, but he merely shrugged. "I told you, it doesn't matter to me." I snorted; I doubted that very much.

"Bond it is," I sighed, giving in. I saw him mouth the word 'yes' out of the corner of my eye.

We headed into the theatre to buy our tickets and raid the concession stand. With our arms full of sodas and candy, we made our way to the theatre to locate some good seats. I was the first one to enter the theatre and looked around. I froze in the doorway and turned to Jacob.

"Holy crap Jake – it's totally packed! I think we may have to sit in the front row!"

"Oh man, are you serious? This is going to totally suck." He groaned as he followed me through the doorway. I paused again once we were inside to see his expression as he looked over the theatre to find it completely vacant. He shot me a look and I laughed.

We headed for the middle section, and sat down in the middle of the row. I was almost worried that the seats wouldn't be wide enough for Jacob's shoulders, but he managed to sit down somehow. We opened the bags of candy on our laps - leaving the popcorn on the ground for later - and munched in silence for a while, staring at the blank screen.

"How much longer?"

Jacob pulled out his cell phone, "About twenty minutes…"

I popped a few M&Ms in my mouth, "So… you all ready for next week?"

"Yeah, I'm all packed and stuff… Billy's coming around to the idea of me leaving now." He said in between bites, "I told you how before he was pretending it wasn't actually happening – how he didn't speak to me for a month? Well he's gotten over it…"

I swallowed and nodded, "He really doesn't like us much, huh?"

"It's not that Ness," replied Jacob quickly, though frowning, "He doesn't have anything against you… or your family, really…"

I searched Jacob's face in the dimly lit room. He was looking straight ahead at the screen; a pained expression on his face. I was just about to speak, when he said, "He just doesn't want me to leave…"

"Maybe you should stay, Jake." I began, not really meaning what I was saying, but saying it because I felt for him. "You really don't have to move if you don't want too. I think I'll be safe enough with eight vampires watching over me."

He sighed, "But I _do_ want to, Renesmee… I really do want to go with you." As he said this his gazed turned from the screen to me, and his gaze was so intense, so serious, that I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks. I was just about to ask him why he was staring at me like that when we were suddenly interrupted by the screen coming to life with previews.

Without another word we both faced the screen and endured two and a half hours of Bond, James Bond.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

"So… what did you think?" asked Jacob when we left the theatre. I paused on the sidewalk and took the last sip of my soda before I threw it in the trash can, and then went to empty the candy wrappers that were in my pockets.

"I don't know…" I began, thinking it over, "It was okay I guess… but don't you kind of get annoyed that most of the action parts are _way_ over the top?" I threw the last wrapper out and turned to walk down the sidewalk. Jacob laughed beside me.

"It is just a movie Ness," he explained, as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah I know… but I mean _really_," I dropped my voice a bit so only he could hear, "I know that you and I can run after a speeding vehicle and actually have some hope of keeping up – but come on! Can a normal human actually do that?"

He laughed again, "Maybe Bond is a werewolf."

I laughed too, "Actually I think there's a better chance that he's a vampire. Werewolves have a hard time controlling their anger, and I didn't see him twitch and shake and explode into a massive ball of fur mid fighting scene."

"Good point," said Jake, though he looked a little unhappy with my comment. I bit my lip, and wondered if I had put my foot in my mouth. I knew that deep down Jacob was a little touchy about his werewolf qualities - but since he was able to joke about it the majority of the time - I sometimes forgot.

"Sorry Jake… if I said anything to upset you…"

"No, no. Don't be silly… I'm just a little cranky lately. I haven't been getting much sleep." And as if to prove a point, he let out a huge yawn.

"We could head back to my house… just because I'm allowed to stay out till midnight doesn't mean we have too."

"I'll be fine Renesmee - stop worrying. I want to stay out as long as possible… who knows when will be the next time we get to hang out."

I stopped on the sidewalk and looked up, trying to read his expression. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged.

"I probably won't get to see much of you after the move. You'll be so wrapped up in school and homework, and being popular that we'll never have any time to just hang out."

I folded my arms across my chest, and tried to hold back my smile – popular indeed – ha!

"Jacob… why on earth would you think - even for a second - that just because I'll be going to high school that I will forget all about my best friend?"

He looked down at me, his brown eyes burrowing into mine, and then he half-smiled, "It does happen…"

"Not to me. Not to us." I said sternly and met his stare. I could feel an odd tingle somewhere deep in my stomach.

He broke our gaze with a smile and continued down the street.

As the sun set itself further below the horizon, Jacob and I walked and talked with ease. It was always like this with Jacob… things were just easy. Conversation flowed easily and I always felt like all of my problems were millions of miles away.

The streets were starting to fill up too. Since it was one of the last, warm Friday summer nights in Olympia people were coming out to eat, drink and be merry on the many outdoor patios. The ever darkening streets were filled with an aroma of wine, bread, fruit, tomatoes, garlic, flowers and freshly laundered linen.

I was taken by surprise when Jacob suddenly reached for my hand and led me onto one of the patios. I was going to protest, but before I could he was already getting us seats.

"Table for two, please," he asked the hostess who looked slightly taken aback by Jacob's shear mass, but quickly controlled her emotions to grab us two menus and lead us to a table.

As I followed Jacob and the woman I noticed that others were staring too. The general expression by the men was one of wonder, probably for Jacob's height and amazingly built physic for someone who appeared to be only twenty-five, though he was really younger. The women's expressions were a little different, and made me feel a bit uncomfortable as I held Jacob's hand. I couldn't help but notice how the women's stares all focused around his broad shoulders and toned chest which was plainly in view due to the tight black t-shirt he was wearing.

I was glad when we finally reached our table, even more so when I noticed that it was off in the corner. Jacob held out my chair for me and I sat down quickly, not wanting to draw any more attention to us. The hostess placed the menus down, told us our waiter would be right with us, and left.

Jacob smiled at me, then picked up his menu and opened it, as though he was completely unaware that the entire patio had gone a little silent.

"Jacob… what are we doing here?" I asked in a voice just above a whisper.

He lowered his menu. "I'm hungry Ness," he answered my rhetorical question. I shook my head, annoyed, "I get that, Jake. But why _here_? Couldn't we have gone somewhere with less people?"

He closed his menu and sighed, "I'm sorry… I should have asked you first… but it just smelt so good. And besides, you're going to be around a lot more humans when school starts," I made an attempt to silence him when he said 'humans' but he just waved me off, "so you may as well get used to being around them now."

He opened his menu and started to read again. Mine lay abandoned on the table, untouched till our waiter finally arrived. "Good evening, is there anything I can get either of you to drink?"

"Yeah… I'll get a coke… and a Bloody Mary for the lady." Jacob avoided my eyes as he said this, looking up at the last second to see my jaw drop. He smirked right before I kicked him hard underneath the table.

The waiter eyed me over, "I don't believe you are of age to drink, are you?"

I turned to the waiter, a bit speechless, but then answered, "No… I'm not. I'll just have a glass of water, please." Jacob chuckled as the waiter left to get our drinks.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" I demanded when I was sure the waiter couldn't hear us. Jacob's entire body shook with hysterics.

"You should… have seen…. your face!" he managed to say between laughs. "Hilarious!"

"That is _not_ funny Jacob!" I hissed, trying to not draw anymore attention to our table.

He caught my expression and the laughter stopped. He tired to compose himself, but the smirk still lingered, "I'm sorry… you're right. That was wrong of me."

The waiter returned with our drinks and took Jacob's order of a double cheeseburger with large fries. My stomach was full of enough human food from the movie, so I passed. The waiter left with our orders and menus.

"Ness? You still mad at me?" asked Jacob innocently. I shot him a sour look. "C'mon Ness, don't be mad. It's not like he'd ever put the two together. He just thought you were too young to drink, that's all…"

I wanted to stay mad at him, I really did. But looking into the face of my friend – my best friend – I just couldn't do it. I sighed and gave in, "What is a Bloody Mary anyways?" I asked, making a face to go along with it. I didn't even feel right saying the words.

"It's a cocktail… sort of like a martini, but different. It's got tomato juice, vodka, and then some weird stuff like salt… pepper… Tabasco sauce…" he ticked the items off his fingers.

"It doesn't sound very good."

"It's not… I just thought… well you know."

We sat quietly for a few minutes until I picked up my water and took a sip. The cold glass felt nice in my hand, and almost as good going down my throat. But once it hit my stomach, I winced in pain.

"What's wrong?" asked Jacob.

"Nothing… I'm okay." I rubbed my stomach with my free hand and put the glass back down.

He looked like he didn't believe me.

"Really Jake, I'm fine. I think I might have an upset stomach from all the human food. I don't usually eat so much chocolate and junk." I admitted.

He seemed to be satisfied with that answer and we made small talk until the food came. The waiter returned fifteen minutes later with the plate of food. The smell made me want to head for the bathroom, but I held back my disgust, and swallowed hard, fitting the urge to throw up. Jacob didn't seem to notice. He drenched his fries with ketchup and dug in.

"Wow… hungry much?" I asked half way through his meal. He smiled and took a sip of his coke. In about six minutes he was done eating, and finally looked up from his plate to see me bent over in my seat.

"Crap! Ness, are you alright? Is your stomach still hurting?" asked Jacob, suddenly worried.

"Yeah… I'm okay…" I lied as I felt a second stab of pain shoot across my abdomen. My stomach was cramping up badly and I wrapped my arms around my mid-section, cradling my stomach in my forearms. I let out a low moan.

"What's wrong, Renesmee? Do you want to leave?" panic laced his words. I nodded and tried to get out of my chair, but it hurt too much to stand up right. I sat back down and bent forward in my seat.

Jacob's eyes narrowed, "I have to get you home. Carlisle will know what's wrong… I'll carry you to the car."

"No, no… I can walk… just give me a second." Another shooting pain; like a knife ripping apart my insides. I closed my eyes and tried to block it out, but it was too strong. I felt Jacob's arms wrap around me and knew that he was carrying me off to his car. I wanted to complain and tell him that it wasn't necessary, that I could walk, but I never got the words out of my mouth.

When we reached the car he put me down on the street and dug his hand in his pocket, looking for the car keys. That's when I smelt it. _Blood_. Close by… so close… and yet it smelt so strange…

It smelt warm and yet it didn't smell fresh… how could that be? It wasn't the inviting sort of fragrance that warm blood usually had… this smelt… well it smelt like it was full of iron and mixed with dirt.

"Jacob?" I asked hesitantly. I looked at him for some reassurance, but he was frozen, staring at the ground below my feet. I looked down and saw that I was standing in a pool of blood. _My blood_!

I froze, the wheels in my head turning… Suddenly things were starting to make sense, well a little sense.

"Oh my god! Am I…? I can't be, can I…? Oh my god!"

Without instruction Jacob removed his shirt, opened the passenger door and placed his shirt over the leather seat. He helped me into the car, "Every things going to be fine… I can get you home in twenty minutes…" He closed the door and ran over to the driver's side. He started the car and headed for the highway.

I sat in my seat with my mouth partially open and in rapid thought. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that the stabbing pains were raging on, but it just didn't register with me anymore. I was trying to remember everything that Carlisle had taught me about the health of human women… trying to make some sense about what was going on with my body… but I had never thought it possible.

The sudden sound of numbers being dialed brought me back to reality. Jacob was speeding down the highway and dialing Carlisle with his free hand.

"Hello? Carlisle? Hey, it's Jacob. I've got an emergency… Renesmee is bleeding." He paused for a second to listen to whatever Carlisle was saying. "Well… I think… I think she may have… you want to talk to her?"

Jacob made a sympathizing face and handed me the phone.

"Hello, Carlisle?"

"Renesmee, are you alright? What's wrong?" he asked in a rushed voice.

I paused for a second, a bit embarrassed myself with the situation, but I couldn't just go home to a house of vampires when I was bleeding human blood, could I?

"I think I may have gotten my period." I spat out. Carlisle was silent for a moment.

"What makes you think so?"

"Well there's pain, lots of lower abdominal pain… and I ate a whole bunch of chocolate earlier – I had a major craving… and well there's a lot of blood coming out of…" I stopped; I just couldn't say the last part out loud.

I could almost see Carlisle nodding on the other end of the phone. "I think you maybe right… how far away are you?"

I looked up at the road and was able to read one of the highway signs as it flew by, "About fifteen minutes."

"Alright… I'll get ready for your arrival," he said in his doctor's tone, and the line went dead in my hand.

I placed the cell phone on the dash of the car and closed my eyes again.

"Are you still in pain?" asked Jacob quietly.

"More in shock, I think."

"Do you really think that you're… you know…"

"I don't know… I didn't think it could happen to me, but what else could it be?"

We drove the rest of the way in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_**Bella**_

I knew something was wrong the moment I heard Carlisle's phone ring, saw Alice go blank and noticed Edward staring at Carlisle, all at once. I listened intently to the one-sided conversation, and felt my breath catch when I heard Carlisle say, "What happened, Jacob?"

I could have leapt over the couch and ripped the cell phone right out of Carlisle's hand, if Edward hadn't held me back at the last second. It was as if he had read my thoughts.

"Yes… let me speak with her…. Renesmee, are you alright? What's wrong?" Carlisle asked and then waited for a reply. I looked to Edward for some explanation to what was happening, but he looked just as dumbfounded as Carlisle did.

"What makes you think so?"

Again… more silence. Not just on Carlisle's part; the whole house had gone silent. My mind was frantically racing… a million possibilities running through my head... But how bad could it be? If Renesmee was still talking, meant that she was still alive – and nothing was more important than that.

"Alright… I'll get ready for your arrival," said Carlisle before he ended the call. At that moment Alice snapped out of her daze, and grabbed Jasper's hand, "We have to leave, now."

I turned to face her, "What? Why? What's going on?"

Alice frowned, "All I saw was blood…"

"_Blood_?" I repeated, just barely above a whisper. I stared off into nothingness… my mind whirling… the possibilities were endless… each one more horrible than the last…

Edward squeezed my hand.

"Renesmee is bleeding…" he explained, "Her and Carlisle both believe that she maybe menstruating… she'll be home in less than fifteen minutes."

Okay, so I hadn't considered that as a possibility. I snapped out of my stupor and looked at Edward, his expression serious.

"What…? How…?"

"I don't know… but it does make sense, what with Alice's vision. This is most likely the beginning of her puberty phase." He looked thoughtful and unhappy at the same time. I knew that he didn't like making guesses into the health of our daughter.

Minutes passed by like seconds… we were both lost in thought…

The sound of five separate sets of footsteps floating down the stairs reminded me of the others. I wasn't surprised when I saw that Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett and Esme were all standing by the front door, carrying backpacks. I turned to Edward, "Should we leave too?"

His eyes burned into mine, "Do you want to?"

I thought about it for half a second.

"No. I don't think I can." It was the truth. Even if Carlisle told me to leave, I didn't think I'd be able too. But could I be strong enough? Could I smell the blood of my daughter… so tempting and warm, and not want to drain her of it?

Edward must have read the fearful expression on my face. "You'll be fine." He reassured me as he placed his hands on my shoulders and gazed into my eyes.

At that moment, Carlisle entered the room with a grocery bag in hand. I hadn't even noticed that he had left. It looked as though he had just run to the local supermarket and back. He glanced at Esme and nodded, "You'd better get going. They'll be here soon… I'll call you when it's over."

Esme smiled a little my way and then left with the others; they all looked as worried as I did. Edward dropped his arms and we made our way to the other side of the room where Carlisle had dumped the contents of the bag out on the table; he didn't seem surprised that we had chosen to stay behind. I made a face at the all too familiar products.

Dispersed across the oak table was a box of Tampax, a container of Midol, a heating pad, chocolate bars and…

"Rubbing alcohol?" I asked as I rotated the bottle in my hand.

"To clean the blood off and to get rid of the smell." explained Carlisle.

I raised an eyebrow in questioning, but Edward seemed to understand,

"Is there a lot of blood then? Like on her body?"

"I think so… the way they were going on about it leads me to believe that like everything else with Renesmee… this is coming on mighty fast."

The conversation was halted by the sounded of Jacob's car roaring into the driveway. I returned the bottle to the table and sprinted to the front door. Edward beat me to it.

By the time I got there he was already walking towards the mustang, his pale skin illuminated by the bright head lights, when Jacob shot out of the driver's seat… bare chest, eyes wild, and cut Edward off.

"Stay away from her! She's bleeding!" Jacob yelled in Edwards face, ten feet away from the car. Edward ignored the comment and tried to move past him.

Jacob moved and blocked his path, "Are you DEAF? I just told you that she's bleeding, and you want to get near her? Where's Carlisle?"

"Get out of my way Jacob before I take your head off!" growled Edward, as he tried to move past. Jacob extended both arms out and shoved Edward in the chest with so much force that he nearly fell backward.

I was in between them by the time Edward steadied himself.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" I yelled; my arms extended out, my finger tips touching both of their chests. I turned to Edward first,

"He's just worried about her, Edward… you have to understand that. And Jacob-" I turned to face him, trying to control the tone of my voice, "You have to trust that we are not going to hurt _our_ daughter."

Both men seemed to relax - just a little - and I dropped my arms and headed slowly for the car. I could feel both of them staring at me from behind.

I reached the passengers side and bent down. There, curled up into a ball was my daughter… tears streaming down her cheeks as she gently rocked her body back and forth.

"Mom?" she asked just above a whisper, her face hidden behind her messy curls. I nodded and opened the door to get her out, but Edward suddenly appeared and with his arms outstretched, lifted her out of the car and into his arms with ease.

I followed them into the house, when Jacob approached me, his face full of worry. I knew what was coming, and I knew that it was hard for him. But Jacob was going to apologize for being rude to Edward; something I never thought was possible before, when I was human.

Many years ago, when I was still tied to Jacob, I used to distinguish between his two personalities; Good Jacob, and Bad Jacob. _My_ Jacob verse the other Jacob. I had put up with the two before, and so had Edward. We had both endured his out bursts and rude comments because I was still tied to him… and as long as I still wanted to see him, Edward couldn't, wouldn't complain.

But something had changed in Jacob Black. Ever since he had imprinted on Renesmee he became calmer. His attitude got better, and he was no longer always on the offensive. He was _my_ Jacob again, or should I say _her_ Jacob. He was the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, always smiling and joking. Whether it was to impress Renesmee or Edward and I, I didn't know. But it didn't really matter. It was just nice to have my old friend back again.

So I wasn't surprised to see him approaching me, cautiously at first. His forehead creased as he searched for the right words.

"I'm so sorry Bells… I completely overreacted… I'm sorry. Please tell Edward that I'm sorry. She's just bleeding so much and…" he trailed off, his eyes to the ground.

I sighed.

"Don't worry Jake. It's fine; we understand. I'll get her to call you once she's feeling better…" I then took notice to his bare chest and gave him a look.

He blushed, "I didn't want to get my leather seats dirty…"

"Oh." I said, and I would have blushed too. If I could.

Jacob looked up at the house hesitantly.

"Go home Jacob. She'll call you later. Go."

He turned to leave and I entered the house. Edward was still holding Renesmee in his arms, probably waiting for me. "I'm going to take her upstairs to the bathroom… there's a lot of it." He headed up the stairs.

And that's when I noticed the smell. It was strong but unpleasant. Not the mouthwatering aroma that I had been expecting. I followed them up the stairs and into the bathroom, where Edward finally set Renesmee on her feet. I now knew why he hadn't let her down earlier; she was covered in blood. Her jeans were drenched and so were her shoes. I forced myself to look away… and looked into her eyes… my old eyes… full of tears and worry. She let out little whimpers of pain.

"I'm going to get the supplies," said Edward, as he cupped my chin with his hand, pulling my eyes away from our daughter and into his eyes. They burned into mine, "You can do this Bella. You'll have to get her into some new clothes and clean her up… you can do this."

I stared back blankly. Of course I could do this. I knew I was strong enough - I knew I could resist the temptation, for it wasn't temptation that stiffened my body. It was embarrassment. Embarrassment that I felt for Renesmee as human memories of my experience with my period rushed back.

I nodded and he left.

"Mom?" said Renesmee quietly as she reached out for my hand. I grabbed it and was suddenly flooded with the vision of her memories of earlier that day… and her emotions of it. As I expected, embarrassment colored her memories and thoughts. I half-smiled her way, trying to reassure her that I was just as embarrassed as she was. She nodded once.

Edward returned with the items Carlisle had bought, plus a change of clothes. It was then I noticed that his shirt was covered in Renesmee's blood. He didn't seem to care.

He set the items down on the vanity, gave Renesmee a supportive smile and left, closing the door shut behind him. I grabbed the bottle of Midol and ripped the cap off.

"Here Nessie, take two of these. It should help with the pain." I said as I dropped two pills in her hand and filled a glass with water from the tap. She swallowed the pills down, as I reached for the rubbing alcohol. "Um… maybe you should get in the bathtub…" I helped her step into the tub and then helped her peel off her clothes. Her inner thighs and calves were covered in thick crimson blood. I tried not to concentrate on it, as I tugged down her wet pants.

"Does it bother you?" she asked, in a whisper, as I ripped off her sock.

"Not as much as I thought it would… does it bother you?"

She thought for a moment. "It doesn't smell good… it's too full of iron, and well… it is my own, so maybe that has something to do with it."

I nodded and then took a step back, focusing on her face. "I think you'd be best off to take a shower… there's just so much." I picked up her soiled clothes and threw them in the sink. I emptied the bottle of rubbing alcohol on them, opened the medicine cabinet to grab a set of matches, and set them on fire. I then headed to the window and through it open. Behind the closed curtain I heard the water begin to run. The bathroom quickly steamed up.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

She didn't reply right away, which made me wonder if she heard me over the running water, "The hot water feels _so_ good."

I smiled absent mindedly… remembering old human memories… and then got worried again. I picked up the box of tampons and read the instructions. I never liked these things. They always felt a bit uncomfortable. But they were better then feeling like you had a diaper on…

"Do you think you'll be able to figure these out?" I asked, not wanting to say the actual word out loud. Luckily I didn't have too, she knew what I meant.

"Um… yeah… I think I should be okay…" I could hear the uncertainty in her voice, but I also heard the stubbornness to do it alone.

"All right… I'll just leave to go get your bed ready…" And with that I left the bathroom. Edward was pacing down the hall. He looked up at me, with worried eyes. I tried to smile, but I knew that I failed. He was by my side in an instant.

"Was it hard for you?" he asked.

"No… not hard… just uncomfortable,"

He nodded in response, "She's horribly embarrassed about the situation. Not only does she feel dreadful that she needed your help to undress, but also that this all happened in front of Jacob."

I sighed, "Jacob apologized, after you took Renesmee inside."

He repeated my sigh, though his was heavier, "Yes… I heard. And I do know that he had a valid reason to be worried… but why is Jacob Black always trying to keep me away from my girls?" The corner of his mouth tugged up in a thoughtful smirk.

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Half an hour later and Renesmee was sitting up in bed, staring out the window, silent as ever. She hadn't said a word since she had stepped out of the bathroom after getting dressed into her tank top and shorts. Edward had helped her get into bed, for it seemed that she was still crippled by the shooting pains in her stomach. Carlisle then left for the hospital to grab some morphine.

I tried not to stare at her as I stood against the bedroom wall, but since it had been recently cleaned out, there was not much else to look at. The expression on her face was hard to read, but it was obviously one of discomfort. I was tempted to ask her if she was still in pain… but thought better of it. Renesmee was too much like me; she liked her privacy as much as I liked mine. Unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to give her any at the moment, and I was thankful enough that she was merely ignoring my presence than telling me to get lost.

"I feel so horrible!" she suddenly groaned and then threw the covers over her head, hiding her face from me.

"Are you still in pain?" I asked, hesitant.

"Yes… but it's not just that." She replied from underneath her covers. "I feel so bad for forcing all of them to leave!"

"You didn't force anyone to leave, Renesmee." I interjected.

"You know what I mean, Mom! They can't come home until I'm done bleeding, and who knows when that will be!" she cried, obviously frustrated. "I thought I was done changing… I thought it was all over…"

"It will be over, very soon!" I rushed to her side and ripped the covers off of her face. Her cheeks were red and wet with tears. She looked up at me, disbelieving, "You don't know that for sure."

I sighed, "You're right… I don't know that for sure. But Carlisle and your father have done as much research as possible, and it looks like this is the last stage. It will be over soon." I tried to make my voice sound as reassuring as possible. It didn't work. I could tell.

I heard Carlisle's car pull into the drive way, and was very grateful. I smiled down at Renesmee, "Carlisle is here… you can talk to him."

A minute later and Carlisle was knocking on the bedroom door. He entered with a large paper bag in his hand and smiled our way.

"Feeling alright?" he asked gently.

"I'm still in pain… it really hurts. Is it supposed to hurt this much?" Her anger had dissolved away in a matter of moments, and I knew why. She loved Carlisle and felt the same kind of esteem for him that Edward and I did. That everyone did.

Carlisle softly smiled and moved closer to the bed, as I moved away from it. "No, human girls don't usually need to take morphine to ease the pain. But then again, your father and I were never really able to get many answers from Nahuel's sisters. They seemed very reluctant to talk to us, even about less personal things. I can't imagine that they ever would have told us about their one and only menstrual experience, even if we had thought to ask them."

During this speech, I quietly made my way to the door and let myself out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_**Renesmee**_

My mother left the room while Carlisle was explaining what my body was going through, but I hardly noticed. I had so many questions swimming around in my head that I didn't know where to start. Of course I knew about Nahuel and the Amazon coven. I had even met him a few times throughout my life. The male half-human, half vampire. But his sister's were the ones that we were really interested in. Carlisle and my father looked to them for answers and insight into my future. Of course it was hard to get answers from half-breeds who didn't trust vampires… especially after the Volturi had murdered their creator - their father - only five years ago.

"Did you know that this would happen, then? That I would get my… my period?" I asked in a small voice, a little uncomfortable with the topic at hand.

He frowned, "No, not exactly. We knew that at some point, during the six years of your growth that you would hit a sort of rushed puberty phase. But we expected it to happen a lot sooner than it did. And since you haven't changed much in the last eight months, well… we assumed as you had; that you had finished growing."

He dropped the paper bag gently on the floor, out of my view and brought up a little glass bottle and a needle. I made a face, but took the shot of morphine with pleasure. I could slowly feel it rush threw my body, easing away the pain in my abdomen. It made my mind feel a bit fuzzy. I had to focus on my next question.

"When will the bleeding stop?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then answered, "I'd like to bet that it will be over by the morning."

"The morning?" I asked as I glanced at my alarm clock. It was just after eleven o'clock.

"Too long?" he asked.

"Actually, I thought I'd be out for days! So that's good news." My smile dissipated once I saw his frown. "What is it?"

"I'm fairly sure that the bleeding won't last long… but there are other things to consider…"

I waited patiently till he started again, "Alice had a vision, Renesmee… and in her vision you looked a lot different than you do now…"

My breath caught in my throat; the wheels in my head turning. Maybe it was the morphine, but something told me that this change would be a good thing, a very good thing. The dumb smile on my face must have given me away.

"You see where I'm going with this lecture?"

"Yes." I whispered, only barely hearing the question. I was too happy. Too lost in my own thoughts and fantasies… for there was only one possible direction that his lecture could go. I knew enough about human health to know what ended with puberty.

Childhood ended.

"And you're happy about this?" he asked, uncertainly.

"Of course!" I nearly squealed with excitement. "I want to look immortal… I don't want to look plain and boring and different any longer."

Carlisle smiled, "You truly are your mother's daughter." And then he bent down to grab something else. He pulled out a few clear plastic bags, filled with the most alluring liquid. My mouth watered and my throat burned.

"I figured you were probably very thirsty after having lost so much of your own blood… I'll grab a glass down stairs for you." As he left, my eyes were glued to the crimson liquid, splashing around in the plastic, sealed bags.

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

"I feel awful!" I moaned loudly into my empty room. It was two in the morning and the second round of morphine was starting to lose its effect on me. I had just crawled back into bed after having to change my tampon, again – for sixth time tonight! – And was in no mood to keep my voice down. Not like there was anyone sleeping anyways.

I could hear my father playing his baby grand on the first floor. He was playing my favorite song, probably hoping that it would help me relax. He was dead wrong. I was so tensed up and moody that I doubted even a tranquilizer could calm me down. Though, I wouldn't have said no to the offer of one… just in case it actually did work.

The music stopped, and a moment later my father was in my room. "Everything alright?" he asked, just above a whisper.

I sighed, and he smiled.

"I could break into a hunting store… get you that tranquilizer if you like." His eyes sparkled in amusement. I wasn't amused.

"Why do I feel so gross?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. It just felt good to vent. His eyebrows furrowed, "Is your stomach still cramping?"

I nodded, "Yes. _And_ I'm bloated _and_ my skin hurts and… and I'm so mad at Jacob right now, for not phoning to see how I'm doing!" I folded my arms across my chest and pouted, like I had seen two year olds doing when they didn't get their way.

My father laughed lightly, and then sat on the edge of my bed. "Jacob has called, love, but I told him that you needed your rest. And besides, it's two in the morning and he needs his sleep as much as you do." He began to smooth out the blankets over top of me, as he said this.

I relaxed a little bit. At least Jacob had called… at least he did care. It was good to know that yesterday's episode hadn't scared him off. Embarrassed as I was, it was good to know that he still wanted to be my friend, that he wasn't mad at me for ruining his leather seats.

"You didn't ruin anything," said my father, "And even if you had, I can't imagine Jacob not wanting to be your friend cause of it."

I inhaled sharply as another stab of pain slashed through my abdomen.

"Would you like me to get Carlisle?"

"No… it's not so bad now. Just every so often… and besides, the morphine makes me sleepy, and I can't sleep considering how often I have to keep changing…" I trailed off, mortified at my near slip-up, and avoided my father's eyes. I wanted to change the subject. Fast.

"I'm glad you were able to clean out your room," he said in an off-hand sort of tone.

"Mom helped…"

"Yes… she told me how hard it was for you to disassemble your room. But it will get easier. The first move is always hard… next year will be a breeze." He looked thoughtful.

"Next year?" I asked, confused. "Why would we move next year? I thought we were going to stay in Hope for three years! This isn't fair! You promised me three years of high school!" I nearly shouted the last part, and regretted the words as soon as they came out. I clamped my mouth shut before anything else could slip out.

How could I yell at my father like that? How could I let my emotions get so out of hand?

I snuck a glance at him, out of the corner of my eye, and was glad to see that he didn't look mad… just thoughtful.

"Sorry Dad… that was really rude of me…" I blushed.

He sighed.

"That's alright, love. And you do have a point. I did promise you three years of high school… but you have to understand that there is reason to believe that in a couple of days, you're not going to look like a sixteen year old any more. The best we can do is enroll you in senior year, and then you can go to what ever college you like."

He half-smiled and I knew his hands were tied. I knew that he didn't like breaking promises, but if Alice was right… if in a few days I would look more immortal and grown up than I did now… then keeping the secret of our existence was more important than my desire to attend high school for three years. I let go of the breath I was holding, and let go of my frustration as well. Nothing was more important to me than my family… I wouldn't put them in danger for some thing as silly as high school.

I didn't have to say any of this out loud. I knew he was listening. He got up and patted my shoulder, bent down and whispered for me to rest, and then left the room.

Around six in the morning, the bleeding had finally stopped. Which meant that I didn't have to keep running to the bathroom to change feminine products; I could finally sleep.

I slept deep and dreamlessly, and when I woke up at dusk later that day, to the sound of gentle humming, it took me a few minutes to register that I was not alone in my room.

"Morning sunshine!" squealed Alice from across the room. Her excitement and expression sent shivers down my spine, as I remembered what had passed the night before. She was staring at my face with such a glow – could it be that I changed already? Did I change from an ugly duckling to a beautiful immortal swan over night? I raised my hands to my face and touched, searching for fuller lips and prominent cheekbones. I let out a gasp.

My face was swollen, and it felt distorted. My bottom lip felt so much fuller than my top lip, like ten times the size! My right cheekbone was high up, and more prominent then before, but the left side didn't match. The left side felt like a swollen blob underneath my fingers. Alice's expression was no longer the happy glow it had been before. She looked horrified as she watched my expression, and she got up off the floor and sat by my side.

"Don't cry Renesmee… it's alright. You're half way through the change… don't be frightened." She whispered in her tinkling angel's voice. She comforted me in her arms, as I sobbed and sobbed. After a few minutes I got a hold of my self and cleared my throat. I was going to ask her to grab me a mirror, when I stopped after the first word. My voice was all wrong.

It was deep, very deep. Boy going through puberty deep. I thought I was going to lose it again, and so did Alice, for she loosened her hold on me and held me at arms length, so she could stare in my eyes.

"Don't freak out. Okay? Everything is going to be fine. Just breath… this is just part of the change… it will all be over before school starts…"

I knew her words were meant to be comforting, but they weren't. School was two weeks away! I couldn't imagine two weeks of looking the way I did. I began to cry again.

This time it wasn't just Alice comforting me. Everyone else in the house came up to see what was going on. I could feel my mother's arms around me, holding me tight. Esme stroking my hair, Rosalie rubbing my feet over the covers… I felt like such a baby, and yet I couldn't stop the tears.

The minutes crawled by and slowly, with a lot of help from Jasper I suspected, I started to calm down. I wiped the tears out of my puffy eyes and looked around the room. All eyes were on me, and surprisingly no one looked as shocked and as horrified as I felt. But how could that be? I must look like a monster!

"Alice, would you grab Renesmee a mirror? She needs to see herself," asked my father gently, no doubt in response to my thoughts.

Alice was back in a flash, with a mirror in her hand. She passed the handle to me, and I carefully took it. With a deep breath I brought the mirror to my face and looked into the glass.

It wasn't as bad as I had thought. It was worst.

I had never considered myself to be a vain person, but before now, I never realized just how beautiful I had been. I had always compared my appearance with the flawlessness of my family. My face, I thought, could never, ever compare to theirs. I thought I was ugly then. But until now, I didn't know what true ugliness looked like.

I could have cringed at the reflection in the mirror, but pure shock wouldn't allow it. I was frozen, staring with my mouth partially open, gawking at my reflection. My bottom lip was ten times the size of the top one. The right side of my face _did_ look different than the left. And as if to add insult to injury, my face was covered with blue and black bruises.

The only way I was able to stop staring into the mirror was when I wondered what the rest of my body looked like. I passed the mirror to whose ever hands were there to grab it. I didn't notice who the person was. I wasn't focused on anything but getting out of bed and to the bathroom. Slowly I crawled out of bed and headed down the hall. No one followed behind me.

When I reached the bathroom I gently closed the door behind me. Not all the way, just enough to give me privacy. I turned to face the full length mirror, my eyes closed at first, and then I opened them. My hands flew to my open mouth, to cover the scream that never made it to my lips.

I was a freak show.

Just like on my face, the right side of my body was different than the left. On my right side I had a breast. A real formed C cup breast. The left side was as flat as ever. My eyes followed down the right side of my body and I noticed too that on that side I had the curve of a hip, the shape of a muscular thigh and calf, and when I turned, a round butt cheek. I then traced down the left side of my body. It looked all wrong. I had no breast and no hip, my thigh and calf were just as gangly looking as they had been yesterday and the skin looked swollen and wrong. Bruises covered both sides of my body…

A sudden wave of calm came over me; like a cool breeze blowing through a window on a hot summer's day, it washed over me. I knew Jasper was near by, but I couldn't turn away from the image in the mirror. A few seconds passed, and then my mother and father were standing behind me, their concerned faces reflected in the mirror. My mother spoke first.

"Renesmee, are you alright, honey?"

I wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. And so she grabbed my hands and I showed her instead. I showed her my envy of her beauty, and the perfection of the others. I let her in on the hopes and dreams I had created last night when Carlisle had told me about Alice's vision… and most importantly I showed her my disgust over what I saw in the mirror.

When I was finished, my mother looked like she would cry herself, if she could.

"Oh Nessie, I'm so sorry for you, honey! But Carlisle says that this is just the beginning, not the end. Alice was right – you're half way through the change! This won't last for long, and then you'll be back to the way you were - more beautiful than any of us!"

I frowned mentally over my mother's bias view of my beauty, but I didn't show it on my face. Instead I pulled myself away from the mirror, past Jasper at the door and headed back for my bed.

If this was just the beginning, I was hoping to sleep through the middle, and wake up when it was over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_**Renesmee**_

Jasper became a permanent fixture in my bedroom, constantly supplying me with a calm atmosphere. Of course I could still feel the anxiety gnawing away at my brain, somewhere in my subconscious. But at least I wasn't driving everyone else crazy with my tears anymore, although I really felt bad for Jasper.

"Jasper… I'm really fine. You can leave if you want to… I'll be okay."

It was a lie. I knew it, and apparently so did he.

"I can still sense a lot of tension and stress in you Renesmee. I will not leave until you are asleep…. Don't worry about me. Just try to relax and trust that every thing will turn out the way it should."

I sighed and fell back down on my bed. It was day three on the crazy train of my life, about four in the morning to be exact. And despite my best efforts to sleep through my horrid transformation, I just couldn't. Of course it hadn't helped that my phone call with Jacob was still running through my head. Though it had occurred hours ago, I could still hear his voice, begging me to allow him to come over and visit.

"Please, _please_ Renesmee! I need to see you! I need to see for myself that you're alright." He had begged for a whole hour, and yet I hadn't given in. It was bad enough that my entire family had seen the beast I had become; I didn't need to see my best-friend's reaction to it.

"Tomorrow… hopefully tomorrow… okay?"

"_Hopefully_ tomorrow? What does that mean?" he questioned.

I sighed, "I'm going through a bit of a change right now… I look a little different, and I don't want you to see me just yet."

"Why not?"

"Because Jacob! Just because!" and I had hung up the phone on him at that point. Why couldn't he just do as I asked? Why did he always have to be so worried? If I told him I was fine, wasn't that enough?

Of course he hadn't called back, and I knew it was because he didn't want to upset me more, but it still hurt. I wanted him by my side more than he knew. He would be able to make me smile… to make me laugh… I was sure of that.

But what I wasn't sure of was what he would think when he saw me in this state, this half metamorphosis that I was in. I didn't want to risk seeing his eyes bug out when he looked at me. It would hurt too much.

Another wave of calm came crashing down on me. And this time I let it take me away. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and just let my mind wander… trying to keep it blank…

I hadn't noticed before how weak and limp my body felt, but it did, even just lying still in my bed felt like a great effort. I had never experienced this before; my muscles and bones felt so fatigued. I assumed it was because my body was trying to cram five years of human puberty into just a few short days…

And then I realized that was I thinking too much again. I sighed and changed my focus to my breathing… in and out… in and out…

I yawned and stretched, and then rolled over in bed. I was out in minutes.

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

When I woke up I felt extremely groggy, and I had the sneaking suspicion that I had been out for hours. I blinked a few times and looked out the window. The sun was still fairly high in the sky, shining bright and warm in a sea of Tiffany blue. I smiled when I heard the sounds of birds chirping and singing and imagined them floating from branch to branch without a care in the world. The thought was so cheerful that for a moment I had forgotten where I was. But that only lasted a moment. With a panic I thought of the last time I had woken up, and I looked quickly around my room.

Jasper was gone and I couldn't decide what that meant. Did it mean that I was through my transformation, that I didn't need the emotional babysitting anymore? Or was he unaware that I had woken up, and would be back in any minute to comfort me?

I raised my hands and inspected them. Both arms seemed to match. The left side no longer looked swollen; both were bruise free. I then touched my face and let out a gasp. My lips were the same size! Not as big as the bottom one had been yesterday, but at least the same size! I had cheekbones – on both cheeks! The puffiness around my eyes had disappeared.

I ripped the covers off of me and headed out of my room, down the hall and into the bathroom without meeting a soul. I closed the door behind me and did as I had the other day. I stood in front of the full length mirror - eyes closed - and then took a breath and opened them.

I was frozen, once again, but not in horror. This time I was frozen in awe.

I don't think that I could have dreamed up a better looking reflection. It was better than any fantasy or dream, because it was real. And it was me.

I studied my face for a long time. My eyes were wider… still the same shade of chocolate brown, but that didn't matter. They were now shaped like almonds on my angled face… my eyelashes also looked thicker and longer. I had cheekbones too! High, prominent cheekbones… and my lips… my lips were fuller and were stained a deeper shade of pink than before.

I pulled my eyes away from my face and looked at the rest of my body. I felt the smile form on my face, a smile that couldn't begin to express my excitement and satisfaction. I had transformed into a woman. No, no no. Not merely a woman, but a vampire woman. The contours of my body were too perfect to be human. They could only be of another nature. My left breast had formed nicely to match the right, with no sagging or stretch marks included. My stomach was flat, as it always had been, but looked so perfect in between the curve of my breasts and my hips. My legs looked strong and muscular and long. My butt was round and nicely formed.

And I had that glow. That vampire glow, that dazzle that my kind possessed. I didn't need someone to be around to know that I had it. I could feel it, as I stared at my reflection. I could even feel myself being pulled toward the mirror, wanting to look closer at myself… wanting to examine and enjoy every minute detail…

But I was interrupted with a knock at the door. I growled; I did not want to be pulled away from the mirror, not so soon. But my growl was misinterpreted and my mother knocked again as she said, "Is everything alright, honey? Are you still upset?"

"I'm fine." I responded in a tinkling voice. It caught me off guard. It was so angelic… like singing rather than speaking. My old voice had been so average, so toneless, and this new voice seemed so rich in tone and texture.

"Renesmee?" asked my mother uncertainly. She could obviously tell the difference too. The door slowly opened and in walked my mother.

As she came through the door way her expression was blank. And then she saw me. Her reaction was actually kind of funny, and I probably would have laughed if I hadn't suddenly felt so underdressed. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out – but not in that horrified way that I had expected a few hours ago. The look on her face was of pure shock and wonder… I couldn't help but feel a little smug… until I noticed just how tightly my tank top was stretched across my suddenly large bosom… exposing a good chuck of mid-section… and how tiny my shorts appeared...

I had never felt embarrassed like this before, not in front of my mother. After all she had seen me naked many times before as a child, and I wasn't naked now… but I sure felt like I was. And I no longer felt like a child… I felt like an equal. And that was enough to send the blood rushing to my cheeks.

She must have felt my awkwardness, for she composed herself quickly and smiled her way back out the door. I waited a few seconds and then headed out of the bathroom, stopping to make sure the hallway was clear before I dashed to my room. I slammed the door behind me. I needed to find clothes that fit, and I needed to find them fast before everyone in the house came up to see me.

I snatched up the discarded duffle bag on the floor and dumped the contents out on my bed. I once again noticed the navy blue v-neck shirt, the one that had felt so loose and baggy and realized why my mother had packed it. It was for me to wear after my transformation. I swapped my tiny tank top for the navy shirt. It fit perfectly. The silky material felt so light and breezy against my skin - and I actually had cleavage! Of course I should probably be wearing a bra underneath, since my nipples were fully erect and showing, but I didn't own any, and I didn't really need the support either. They sat there, two perfect mounds… high and forward… better than silicone… and yet they didn't feel hard to the touch. They were soft and squishy… and then I realized that I was feeling myself up and dropped my hands to my sides.

To distract myself I rummaged around for some bottoms and found a pair of jeans that I had received for my birthday. They were designer jeans, of course, and were designed for a person with an actual butt. I had tried them on before only to find that they didn't fit, and Alice had been so disappointed but she wouldn't return them. She was certain that they would fit… someday.

I took a deep breath and exchanged my shorts for the jeans. They slid on easily… but I was still holding my breath, until I checked over my shoulder to inspect my behind. Amazingly the pants fit, and they fit so nicely. There wasn't any excess material in the back which made me very excited.

I could hear Alice's voice outside my bedroom door, "Isn't she done changing yet?" My father's voice answered her, "Yes she is… but she's not finished admiring…" He sounded like he was smiling.

I laughed and then headed for the door. I opened it to find my family crammed in the hallway. Each face lit up with a glow and a smile that was meant only for me. I stepped back and let them enter the room. I stopped in the middle of it and spun around on my toes, and then asked in a rushed but sparkling voice, "What do you think?"

Rosalie grinned, "You're the most beautiful creature on two legs!" She stepped forward to hug me and I hugged her hard in return.

"I'm so sorry for what I put you through!" I said as she pulled away. I looked to the rest of my family and apologized. "I must have been awful to be around the last couple of days…"

"You were fine, darling," said Esme as she approached me. She gently pushed the curls away from my face, "We all understood that you were going through a very trying time. But it's over now. How do you feel?"

I beamed.

"I feel amazing! I feel beautiful… I feel like I'm finally a Cullen!"

"You were always a Cullen," smiled my father.

"Yes, I know. But now I look like it. I feel like it. I now have that _dazzle_."

"Boy, do you ever," said Emmett quietly, right before my father elbowed him in the ribs.

I blushed softly and then stood there quietly, waiting for someone else to speak. I could have talked all of their ears off, but I kept my happiness bottled up. Carlisle was first,

"Well Renesmee, this couldn't have come at a better time. I'm glad you feel alright, because tomorrow we leave for Canada."

"Tomorrow?" I asked, confused. I was sure that we had decided to leave on Tuesday.

"Tomorrow is Tuesday," explained my father, "You slept through most of Sunday and today."

"I did? Really! Hmm…"

"Yes you did," smiled Alice. "And we have a bit of a surprise for you. It's waiting down stairs." She grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd and out of the room. She brought me to the dinning room table and told me to sit, while she headed off to the kitchen. My mother pulled out the chair next to me and sat down, everyone else stood causally around the table.

Alice returned with a stack of papers in her hand, "The other day Jasper went out to get us some new paper work," she explained offhandedly as she plucked out a smaller stack of papers and handed them to me.

I took the papers from her and placed them on the table. The first was a birth certificate with my name on it, and a made up birth date. "You'll have to memorize the year on there," reminded Alice as she went to stand by Jasper, "That makes you eighteen come this September." I nodded absentmindedly as I noted the year and flipped to the next paper, eager to find my so-called surprise.

The next was a little booklet which turned out to be my passport. It was missing a photo of my self. My father answered my unasked question.

"Jasper will take a photo of you later and add it in; it's not such a big deal."

I nodded again and then placed the passport aside. The next item made my heart race. I picked up the little plastic card and examined it closer. It looked real. So very real, it sent shivers down my spine.

"Told you she'd be happy." smiled Rosalie.

I looked up and smiled, "Does this mean I get to drive the Cooper to Hope?"

My father warned, "Yes, as long as you promise to stay under the speeding limit."

"Will you be staying under the speed limit?" I asked playfully as I imagined him in his Aston Martin, flying down the highway.

"Yes I will, since I will be taking the Volvo and one of the trailers."

"You're just going to leave the Vanquish behind? Can I drive it then?" I popped up out of my seat.

Little giggles erupted around me, and I suddenly felt embarrassed. What was so funny? Was the idea of me driving a powerful Aston Martin really that much of a joke? I slowly sat back down in my seat and kept my eyes on the table. Seconds later, the laughter had died.

"Honey, now don't be upset with us. We weren't laughing at you. We're just really excited that you're excited, that's all," cooed Esme in my ear, as she wrapped her arms around me.

I shifted a little in my seat, and quickly changed the subject. "Has Jacob called recently?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact he called for you just before you woke up." said Alice as she dashed to the kitchen and back again. She dropped the kitchen phone into my hand and winked. Winked? What on earth was that for?

"Well… I guess I better call him…" I made my way out of the crowded room and up the stairs, punching numbers into the phone as I walked. It rang five times before I got to my bed, and just as I flopped down on my still-warm sheets, I heard his voice.

"Hello?"

"Jacob? Hey… it's Renesmee…" My voice sounded so different, much more like singing rather than speaking. I waited patiently for him to respond, each second making me more and more nervous.

"Renesmee, is it really you?"

"Yes Jacob, it's me."

"But your voice… it's so different."

I hesitated, "Is that a bad thing? Does it sound horrible?"

"No, no. It sounds very … pretty. I guess I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

He was silent after that, and my stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. Why was talking to him suddenly feeling so awkward? Was it just because I sounded different to him? What would happen when he saw me?

"So… have you finished packing? Are you all ready for tomorrow?" I asked weakly.

"Yeah, I'm all done."

Silence, it was just more of that horribly awkward silence. I opened my mouth to speak, and only got out part of a word when he spoke at exactly the same time. We both shut up instantly, waiting for the other person to go first.

"Sorry," he said, "You wanted to say something?"

"No, no. It was nothing important."

"Oh."

"Jacob? What's wrong? Is my voice really creeping you out or something? Did something happen?"

I heard him sigh on the other end, and could imagine him pacing his bedroom floor like he always did when he was looking for the right words to say.

"I guess I'm just a little hurt."

"Hurt?"

"Yes Ness, I'm hurt." He said, and I could hear the pain in his voice. "Do you know what it's been like for me the past couple of days? Not being able to see you? Not being able to make sure that you're okay?"

"But I am okay, Jake. There's nothing to worry about. I'm absolutely fine!" I wished so badly that I could see him, so I could wrap my arms around him and give him a huge, reassuring hug.

"Are you really okay? Why does your voice sound so different?" The words came out in the most depressed tone ever, and they took me off guard.

I swallowed, "Well… you see, Jake… I've gone through a bit of a change."

"How much is a bit?"

I hesitated; suddenly worried that Jacob would no longer recognize me as his best friend. But that was silly, wasn't it? _Why should anything be different between us just because I look a little different?_

"I look different Jacob, but it's just physical. I'm still the same me; I'm still the same person."

"Yeah, right."

"What's that supposed to mean, Jake?"

He sighed, "It doesn't mean anything, okay? Look… I'm really busy at the moment here. I'm in the middle of fixing Jimmy's pickup and if I don't get this done by six I'm going to be in some deep shit. So I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

I bit my bottom lip, "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

I hung up the phone before he could answer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_**Jacob**_

_Run. Run faster, stronger, harder. Run until the questions stop._

I repeated this mantra as my bare feet pounded at the forest floor, creating a soothing rhythm of words and sound. Some where up above an owl shrieked and took off in flight. I could hear other forest animals too, scampering away as quickly as possible, trying to escape the clutches of the big, bad wolf.

_Run. Run faster, stronger, harder. Run until the questions stop._

The sky was clear and the moonlight danced on the leaves above. Some of it reached to the forest floor; like little beacons in the night they lit my path to Olympia. A few cars zoomed down the highway close to the forest. I could hear the buzz as they zipped down the road, at what must have been ninety clicks. I pushed myself harder to keep up.

_Run. Run faster, stronger, harder. Run until the questions stop._

I didn't want to think anymore. I had spent the last six hours or so re-constructing the last conversation I had had with Renesmee in my head. It had been hard enough trying to finish Jimmy's truck with the thoughts that were buzzing around, never mind the long drive home, plus the cliff diving I had stopped off the main road to do. At the time I had thought the adrenaline would clear my head, but if anything it just made me more determined to see her.

_Run. Run faster, stronger, harder. Run until the questions stop._

_Jake! _Seth's voice suddenly entered into the atmosphere, innocent and worried. _Are you alright? Where are you going, man? What are you running from?_

I didn't want to answer, I just wanted to keep running, but his question brought back all the doubt. _She says she's changed, what does that mean? Haven't seen her in days… Voice sounds different… What if she's different?_

And then the image that I had been dreading floated up … the image of Bella with blood red eyes; looking more like _his_ Bella than mine. And then Bella was no longer Bella but Renesmee… and her eyes were blood red, and her face was perfect, too perfect… and that bond that we share… the tie that we have… is…

_NO!_

I growled into the night, but only Seth could make out my cry. The unseen creatures in the forest leaped back further and I pushed harder into the night.

_I need to see her. I need to see if it's still there._

Seth was silent, but I could feel him running to catch up with me. Any other day I'd tell him to bugger off, but I was too preoccupied.

I was a mile away when I caught their scent on the wind. It burned at my nostrils but eased my nerves. It would be much easier with them gone. I wouldn't have to worry about _him_ reading my thoughts. I paused in the forest and picked out their scents one by one.

Edward and Bella, that was for certain. Was that Rosalie and Emmett with them? Could I really be that lucky?

Much relieved I pushed forward into the night. I approached the clearing slowly and phased as I walked. The last thing I needed was for Seth to see this private moment. He was still a good eight miles away and that would give me enough time to see Renesmee in peace.

I bent down and unfastened the jeans that were wrapped around my calf. I slipped them on and approached the house slowly. The living room window was brightly lit up and I could see Alice dancing around, twirling and spinning as Jasper sat and watched TV. She abruptly stopped, mid-spin, and peered outside the window, no doubt catching sight of me.

Before I knew it she was at my side, smiling widely up at me.

"Hi. How's it going Jacob?"

"Hey Alice… I'm alright," I lied and ran my fingers threw my hair, "Um… is Renesmee home?"

"Yes, she is. But she is still rather upset from that phone call you two had." she said plainly; her smile didn't fade.

"I see. And you're not… um… mad at me?"

"Why would I be?"

"Right. Um, look Alice… the truth is, well I've come to see Renesmee. But I don't really want her to know that I'm here. Do you think that's possible?"

"Sure, she's up in her room right now listening to music. There's a tree back there that you can climb up. You'll get a good view that way."

My mouth dropped a little at how helpful she was being.

"Um, thanks." I said and headed for the back of the house.

"Jacob!" she called and I paused. She was at my side again. "I know why you're here. You're worried that you won't feel connected to her anymore. You're worried that now that she's changed, the bond that you share won't be there anymore."

"How… how do you know what I'm thinking?" I whispered.

Her smile was gone and she looked thoughtful, "Well… I think that if I were in your shoes I would be worried too. I know how much you loved Bella, and I know how quickly things changed for you once she became a vampire. But Renesmee is different. You two are very alike. Try not to see what she went through as becoming "more vampire-like", but instead as her becoming her true self."

With those last words she spun around on one foot and headed back to the front door.

I was left standing there in the moonlight for about three minutes as I pondered what Alice had said. _You two are very alike… her becoming her true self…_

For some inexplicable reason, those words excited me very much. I jogged to the back of the house and found the tree closest to Renesmee's room. I looked up the side of the house to her window and saw that it was brightly lit. I grabbed a hold of the tree's trunk and climbed up, digging my toes into the rough bark and grabbing onto branches as I went.

Higher and higher I climbed until I was level with the window and just six feet away. I positioned myself on a rather sturdy branch and leaned forward to peer into the room.

I spotted her instantly. She was sitting cross legged on the bare floor, back turned to me, swaying side to side. The sight of her alive and well eased my heart a bit, but I silently begged for her to turn around. I needed to see her face. I needed to see her eyes.

And as if she heard me, she stood up in one graceful motion and began to dance around the room. The first time she faced me, it was only for a second, but it was long enough to take my breath away. The second time she spun and faced the window again I nearly shouted for her. And then when she finally came to a stop, facing in my direction as she searched for the next song on her iPod, I wondered how on earth I ever doubted there to be a connection still between us.

Alice's words came flooding back, and now it was easy for me to understand why those words had excited me. Renesmee was beautiful. Not that she hadn't been before, but before the only real pull I felt for her was that of a kid sister. I loved her then very much and wanted to protect her from every kind of harm, always keep her laughing and never wanting to see her cry.

But now that I saw her like this, I wanted more.

I couldn't stop my hungry eyes from tracing the shape of her long, pale legs up to her short pair of shorts. Past her exposed stomach to the red tank top that was stretched much too tightly across her suddenly large breasts.

I gulped as a million different images of her body wrapped around mine flooded my head. I grabbed a hold of the nearest branch to steady myself, and took one last look at Renesmee before I climbed down the tree. When I reached the ground I could smell Seth from across the yard. I took my time walking toward him, hoping that my erection would cease by the time I made it over there.

"Everything okay?" ask Seth when he finished phasing.

"Yeah, everything's cool."

"I thought you were going to talk to her. What were you doing up in that tree?"

"I just wanted to see her. It was enough. Besides, she was heading off to bed… I didn't want to disturb her."

Seth eyed me up in the dark. "Yeah, sure she was. So… how does she look?"

"Different." I said as I started walking deeper into the forest.

"Different good or different bad." He asked as he followed me into the shadows.

"Good different, Seth. Really good."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow… to be honest I was kind of worried there."

"Why?" I asked, truly interested.

"Same reason you were. I remember the way things changed for you after Bella changed. I mean I know that you had imprinted on Renesmee at the same time, but I know that Bella becoming a vampire changed your feelings towards her. And no one really knows how this imprinting stuff works. I was worried that Renesmee might have become too vampire-like for you, or something like that."

"It's not like that though," I began to explain, "It's more like she has become whole, like she has become the true Renesmee now."

"So in other words," began Seth with a smirk, "you're in love with her?"

"I've always been in love with her," I replied.

"No I don't think so. Yes you've always loved her, but I don't think you were in love. And who could blame you? Up until a few days ago she was only a child, but she's changed so much in appearance alone…" answered Seth.

I stopped mid-step and eyed him up in the shadows. He looked horribly guilty for some strange reason.

"Why do you look like that?"

"Like what?" he asked sounding worried, and then it finally clicked.

"You've seen her already, haven't you? You got to see her before I did!" I growled.

"What are you talking about, Jake?"

"Seth, have you or have you not seen Renesmee since her … her change?" There was no reason for my voice to sound as angry as it did, neither could I explain why I suddenly wanted to punch Seth in the stomach.

"Jake buddy, calm down okay? It's not like it was all planned out or anything. I just stopped by earlier to say good-bye to the Cullens since I'll be working tomorrow and won't be able to see them off. Renesmee was there, of course, and so yes I saw her. What's the big deal?"

"You could have told me. When we were running and all of those horrible images were going through my head… why didn't you say something? How were you even able to hold that from me?"

Seth opened his mouth and then closed it quickly. "I… I don't know, man. I'm sorry about that. But I guess I just totally forgot about it. I was preoccupied with you and your emotions, I just didn't think about it until now."

I let go of a deep breath and sat down on a tree stump.

"Shit, I'm really sorry about that Seth. I didn't mean to snap on you."

"Don't worry about it Jake. It's fine."

"Really, is it? Lately I've been feeling so guilty about leaving you behind. First your sister goes and imprints on some adventure-seeking big shot lawyer and high tails it to New York, and now I'm leaving for Canada," I kept my eyes on the ground.

"Dude, I've already told you not to worry about it. You're not my father, bro. You don't need to hang around here to protect me," replied Seth.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I will miss you." I confessed.

He leaned forward and placed an arm on my shoulder. "I'll miss you too, Jake."

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"I'm really gonna miss you, son."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Dad."

I didn't want to turn around and look at my father. I knew the tears were there; I could hear them in his voice. I'm sure he could hear them in mine too.

I continued to pack the last of the items in the duffle bag while Billy sat in the hallway and watched. I knew that at some point I was going to have to turn around and face my father… so I started to pack slower.

"Alright then," he sighed, "I'll see ya downstairs."

I nodded slowly and then stopped all together when he left. I sat down on my bed and examined the tiny space which was my room. Six cardboard boxes were stacked near the door, ready to be taken outside and placed in the U-Haul trailer that Carlisle had rented out for me, and was now attached to the back of my Mustang. Four of those boxes contained the contents of my closet, another held my collection of CDs. The last box was full of miscellaneous items that held some sort of sentimental value. A dream catcher that had once belonged to my mother, a few soapstone carvings pasted down from my great-grandfather, the charm bracelet Renesmee had made me when she was four. I sighed at the thought of that bracelet.

I had barely slept a wink the night before as a combination of dreams and nightmares had me slipping in and out of consciousness. The dreams had been as wonderful as the nightmares had been frightening. All of them involved the newly changed Renesmee.

I shook my head and tried hard not to re-live the last pleasant dream I had had. It would not be good to have Edward see the image of his daughter's naked body wrapped around my own. It would only create more problems between us.

After stuffing a quilt into the duffle bag, I zipped it closed and swung it over my shoulder. It took me six trips to load the boxes into the trailer, six unnecessary trips that I dragged out in order to avoid saying good-bye to my father. I didn't know why it was so hard to say good-bye this time around. I had left a few times before, and never once found anything hard about it. But maybe that was because the other times that I left, I was leaving out of rage. It's easy to leave the ones you love behind when you're angry, but not so easy when you're on good terms.

I pulled the door on the trailer shut and locked it in place. I turned to head back for the house, and saw Billy sitting on the front porch.

"All set then?" he asked in his deep voice.

"Yup… I'm all ready to go." I dug my hands in my pockets and began to rock back and forth on my heels.

"What will you do up there, in Canada?" he grunted.

"Carlisle was able to get me a job fixing cars… much like what I'm doing now."

"Humph." Snorted Billy, "And where will you be staying?"

"Dr. Cullen got me a place to stay too."

"I see…"

"Dad, I … I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what Jacob?"

"For leaving," I offered. I really didn't know why I was apologizing. All I knew was that it was really freaking uncomfortable having my father stare at me like I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life.

"You've left many times before, Son."

"Yeah, I know. But this time… this time I'm not coming back."

"Yeah… I figured this was a permanent thing." Sighed Billy.

"I know this is hard for you, but it's hard for me too. I really love Renesmee and she's worth the move."

"You love her, but does she love you back?" he questioned.

I bit my bottom lip, a total give away of my uncertainty, and tried to find the right words.

"I believe she does. And someday she'll tell me so." He looked unconvinced and I sighed, "What else can I do, Billy? She's all I think about. I didn't choose to imprint that day, it just happened."

He snorted, "Werewolf imprinting on a blood sucker…"

"_Dad_."

"Okay, okay. I know I shouldn't call them that. Old habits die hard, you know." He smiled softly.

We were silent for a few moments until my cell phone rang.

"Jacob, are you all ready to go?" Bella's voice sang in the phone.

"Yeah, I'll be there shortly. I'm just saying good-bye."

"Oh okay then. Jasper's got your papers all in order. We'll wait for you; there's no rush. Take your time."

"Sure, sure,"

I hung up the phone and walked over to Billy. I grabbed him into a bear hug, just as he started to tear.

"Gonna miss you, Pops."

"Gonna miss you too, Son."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_**Renesmee**_

I barely slept the night before the move. I remember heading off to bed some time after midnight but it hadn't been a peaceful sleep. My dreams were full of anxiety and fear of absolutely nothing in particular. The shapes in my dreams twisted and blurred much too fast for me to make out any sort of meaning, but the emotions I felt were very clear.

I spent four hours tossing and turning in my partial sleep. It was as though I knew it was only a dream and that I could pull out of it and wake up at anytime, and yet it wasn't until I felt the sharp burn in my throat that I finally opened my eyes.

I blinked a few times and peered out my bedroom window. It was still dark out and the moon shone brightly down on the earth. I rolled over and glanced at my alarm clock. Only a quarter after four. I rolled out of bed and swapped my shorts and tank top for a pair of jeans and a purple dress shirt. I buttoned up the buttons covering my breasts and left the top and bottom ones open. I then rolled up my sleeves to my elbow, headed toward the open window and jumped out.

Softly I landed on the cool grass. Instantly I heard the animals of the forest scamper away in fear. A rabbit darted off to the left, a couple of squirrels ran up the nearest spruce. I tried not to think about it as I ran into the thick trees, but the further I ran the more fear I sensed around me.

On and on I ran, deeper into the night and far away from my house in search of a meal. It had been so long since the last time I hunted and I wondered if my new body would offer any new abilities. I quickly noticed that I was more graceful on my feet. My feet were barely kissing the moist grass where before I was stumbling into every rock and root. And I felt more power in my stride, more force in my - wait! What's that?

I froze mid-step and the burning in my throat intensified as I made out the sound of three tongues lapping up water in a near by stream.

_Deer... one male, two females..._ the scent was much too easy to pick out. It was a warm smell, sort of like a mixture of wood, nutmeg, grass and manure. But the most alluring smell was that of the blood. One of them was injured and the scent only excited me further.

There was no need for thought for now I was running with pure instinct. My limbs loosened and my strides became longer; every push propelled me further than the last. Thirty yards away I caught sight of the deer and my body crouched down. I singled the larger female out. The male was huge and would fill me up in a few bites, but he was also the injured one, and I had no desire to drink tainted blood.

By the time they heard me, I had already sunken my teeth into the doe. The other two fled as fast as they could leaving the victim behind to kick and scream until I sucked all of the rich, warm blood out of her. In seconds the doe went limp and I moved my mouth over her warm body, trying to drain her of every last drop of crimson liquid.

Every mouth full of blood eased the burn and set a wave of adrenaline rushing through my body. Unfortunately the blood ran out long before I was full. I stood up and ran further north in search of some better game. I knew where the mountain lions liked to play.

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I could feel the warm sun beating down on my skin and the last thing I wanted to do was to open my eyes. And so I continued to lay against the same tree I had fallen asleep on hours ago, after I had captured the mountain lion. The forest was so much nosier during the day. I could hear birds chirping, fish jumping and rabbits nibbling on grass. Granted that the sounds were a good deal away from me; I was very aware of the empty fifty foot radius around me as well.

Bothered by that fact, I finally opened my eyes and stood up, brushed myself off and took one last look at the dead puma before I ran back home. I tried to ignore how quickly the forest turned quiet around me, but it was hard to do.

"Hey, we were wondering where you went!" called Emmett from the backyard, seconds before I actually made it out of the shadows of the forest. His skin sparkled like millions of tiny diamonds in the sunlight and I could feel my human side being drawn to him like a fish to a shiny lure.

"Needed to hunt," I replied with a smile. "It's been a long time and I fell asleep afterwards."

He chuckled, "The deer tired you out that much, huh?"

"Not so much the doe, but the puma was fierce." I grinned.

"A mountain lion all by your self? Nice work, Ness. Edward would be proud if he wasn't so worried over you."

"Renesmee, you're home." At that very moment my father appeared at my side, grabbed me by my shoulders and gave me the once-over.

"Dad I'm fine, really!" I barked and tried to pull away before he read too much. Unfortunately it was hard to not think of the struggle I had with the puma and my thoughts and emotions ran quickly through my head.

My father dropped his hands and frowned. "You're lucky you won, you know that right? That animal almost ripped your head off!"

"But he didn't, okay? I'm fine and I'm full and everything is okay."

"Edward?" My mother floated around the side of the house and came towards us, "Renesmee your shirt is torn and filthy, I think you better head up to your room to change. We'll be leaving in an hour. Try to be ready by then." She smiled softly and I took the hint and jogged to the other side of the house.

I showered in three minutes and then spent the next ten staring at my reflection trying to decide what I should do with my new looks. My hair was still curly and bronze and I was determined to do something with it, although I didn't really own any kind of styling products. I wrapped a towel around me and headed down the hall to Rosalie's room. I knocked twice and opened the door a crack when I heard her voice.

"Hey baby, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Um... I was wondering if you still had some of your hair products out. I wanted to do something to my hair, not really sure what though."

Her face lit up in seconds.

"Oh-my-god! Come in! Do you know how long I've been waiting to get a hold of your hair?" She tugged at my arm and I jumped in the room as she shut the door behind me. She led me over to her vanity table and sat me down on the chair. "So? What would you like me to do?"

"Um, I don't really know. I mean I like it curly, but it's a little too curly." I fingered one of the ringlets as I spoke.

"Yes I know what you mean, and I think that you'd look great if they were toned down a bit." As she spoke she headed to the corner of the room where a couple of boxes were and rummaged through them, just as there was a knock at the door.

"Did I hear someone say make-over?" Alice asked as she peered into the room.

"It's not really a make-over," I replied, "I just need some help with my hair."

"And make-up. You would look fabulous with some baby pink lips," interjected Rosalie.

"And you need some new clothes too! You can't continue to wear those horrible cotton t-shirts now that you've got this smoking hot body! You're a Cullen after all and there is a standard to be met." Alice's grin scared me worse then the hand full of bottles that Rosalie had suddenly dug up.

"But - I don't want to look totally different! I still want to look like me!" I cried.

"Aw honey, you'll still look like you! Don't be silly. We're just going to add some little touches to make you look your best. All the girls in high school will be wearing make-up and doing their hair. So it's best to try it out now and see what looks best."

"Okay Rosalie, you got me there. But where am I going to suddenly get this new wardrobe?"

"You'll just borrow from Rosalie," said Alice as she attacked some of the cardboard boxes that were on the floor, "And then later we'll go shopping!"

I sighed and sat back as Rosalie squirted some creamy pink goo into her palms and then massaged it into my hair. I watched as she heated up her Chi flat iron and ran a lock of curls through it. My tight ringlets disappeared and I had to admit that I quickly got excited.

By nine o'clock my make-over was complete and I had a hard time trying to tear my eyes away from the mirror.

"You are both brilliant! I look amazing!"

"Yes you do, but we better get a move on here if we want to make it to Hope by two." smiled Alice as she helped Rosalie re-pack the lotions, sprays and discarded clothes into the boxes.

"Oh! My bed needs to be taken apart still..."

"Don't worry about that, Jasper took it apart fifteen minutes ago. Everything in your room is packed and on it's way to Hope!" Alice grinned.

"On it's way? Who's driving it there? I thought we were all going together."

"Oh, well Edward thought that he shouldn't be here when - I mean that he and Emmett should head down there first to get a head start on things before you came." Alice back-tracked.

"Huh? Wait, what? He thought he shouldn't be here when _what_ happens?" I asked. No one paid me any attention, instead both women picked up the boxes and zoomed past me and out the front door.

"Hold on a second! When what happens?" I called out as I chased after them. I was about to follow them out the front door when the voice on the other line of my mother's phone call caught my attention.

"_Yeah, I'll be there shortly. I'm just saying good-bye._"

"Oh okay then. Jasper's got your papers all in order. We'll wait for you; there's no rush. Take your time."

"_Sure, sure_," Jacob's voice was so moody and sad that I was tempted to yank the phone out of my mother's hand and speak to him. But he had hung up quickly and I was left to stand there and wonder if he was okay.

"Renesmee, you look beautiful. I'm guessing your Aunts got a hold of you." My mother smiled as she ended the phone call.

"Yeah, they did. That was Jacob." My mother nodded to my non-question. "Is he alright? He sounded upset."

"I believe he's fine, but you can call him if you want." she said as she extended the phone to me. I didn't take it, instead I turned around and headed for the door. "Renesmee, are you alright?"

"Yeah Mom, I'm fine." I called back into the house as I stepped onto the porch and into the warm sunlight. The others were quickly moving in and out of the house, packing up the last few items that needed to be packed. Pictures, paintings, tables, chairs. I walked off the porch and headed for the garage around the side of the house.

"You look very nice Renesmee," called Esme from across the yard. I smiled and waved a thank-you and continued into the shade of the eight car garage. My father's Volvo was missing and so was Emmett's Wrangler. I walked across the two empty stalls and pushed on past Rosalie's BMW on the way to my shiny blue Cooper, but I had to pause in front of my Dad's Vanquish.

It sat there like a wild little animal, black and sleek with the sexiest curves found on a car. I reached out and let my fingertips glide against the smooth paint; a shiver ran down my spine.

"God I wish I could take you out for a drive..."

I sighed and headed for my Cooper. The doors were unlocked and the tinted windows gave me a pleasing reflection of myself. My eyes searched over the baby pink lips and dark eye makeup, over my softly flowing hair with just the right amount of wave and bounce. I had been worried at the time about Alice's selection in clothing but the slinky top with the denim skirt looked really nice together, especially since I had the T&A to fill it out.

It was obvious though how mature I looked, and the longer I stared at my self in those four inch heels the more I wondered if I could really pass for a high school senior. Not like I knew much about what high school seniors looked like. The only examples I had were from the millions of movies that I watched, and in almost all of them the girls looked young and inexperienced. And the woman I saw now staring back at me looked anything but inexperienced.

I looked past my reflection and saw the car keys and papers that were laying on my passenger seat, along with my favorite pair of D&G sunglasses. I opened the door and sat down. I then shuffled through the papers to make sure that my driver's license was there, put my sunglasses on and then eased the car out of the garage.

"Going for a ride?" asked Carlisle when I slowed down next to one of the vans.

"I thought I'd go for a quick ride now to get some experience with day time driving. Unless you need my help,"

"No, no. We're all fine here. Just take it nice and slow. I know how Rosalie likes to take it to a hundred but there are a lot more cars out during the day." He smiled and I drove past the other moving trucks and headed onto the highway for the first time during the day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_**Renesmee**_

I drove up and down the same stretch of highway seven times before I decided to head back home. Part of me was enjoying the ride, and part of me was worried to see Jacob. I knew that he had probably made his way to my house by now and I was getting more and more nervous by the second.

_What will it be like to see him now? Will things be as awkward between us in person as it was on the phone?_ I tried to push those thoughts out of my head as I eased up the pathway to my house. I could see Jacob's black Mustang and trailer parked beside the three moving vans along with Rosalie and Alice's cars. Just the sight of the car alone set goosebumps down my back. I wanted to see Jacob; I needed to see him again.

I pulled up beside his Mustang and heard the front door of the house open and close. Jacob came around the corner wearing a pair of dark jeans and a crisp white t-shirt. His hair was short as always and yet it looked like he had spiked it up with gel. I giggled as I watched him walk towards my Cooper. He smiled once he got closer.

"What's so funny?"

"You did your hair! I've never seen you with your hair gelled up before."

"Does it look stupid?" he asked nervously, his hand shooting up.

"No, it looks really nice Jake." I smiled and then went silent, not knowing what to say.

"I haven't seen this car in a long time." he smirked as he kicked the front tire with this foot. He looked up at me, "You look different... really different."

I reached up and pulled off my sunglasses slowly. I heard him take a deep breath in and his muscles tensed.

"Is it that bad?" I asked.

"No... you look... beautiful." he whispered, his dark eyes burrowing deep into mine. And then he snapped them quickly away. "Yeah, so um... I just got here a few minutes ago. Looks like everyone is set to hit the road."

"Great, I'm really excited. How did things go with Billy?"

"Oh, you know him... and this isn't exactly the first time I've left," he dug his hands into his pockets and peered up at the blue sky.

"Hmm..."

"Renesmee, are you all set to go?" I heard my mother's voice before I saw her walk around the corner of the house. She smiled at us, "Would you like to take one last look around before we head off?"

"Yeah, sure Mom." I nodded and opened the car door.

"Is Carlisle planning to sell the place?" asked Jacob as he watched my mother leave.

"No, I think he intends to keep it. You never know, we might return some day." I smiled when Jacob turned back to face me. I was now out of the car and standing beside him, tugging down on my skirt that had ridden slightly up. I noticed that his eyes bugged out a little and he scanned my body up and down quickly before he spun on the spot and headed straight for his car.

"Um, you know what? I think I better get a head start on the drive." he said as he jumped into the drivers' seat of his Mustang and shut the door close. I ran to the other side of my Cooper and leaned into his open window, just as he started up the engine.

"Jacob, is something wrong? Why are you taking off?"

He was staring straight ahead, his grip tight on the wheel. "Nothing is wrong, Renesmee. I'm fine." he said forcefully.

"Bullshit! Just tell me what is wrong!" I begged.

When he finally turned to face me, our eyes meet and his expression soften. "I'm sorry Nessie... please don't be upset. I'm just really tired and I want to get a head start on the drive. Four and a half hours is a long time to be on the road you know. I don't have the kind of stamina your family does."

He smiled, leaned forward and planted a kiss on my forehead. I straightened up, took a step back, the spot on my forehead tingled and watched him back out of the drive way.

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The drive to Hope was ridiculously fun. I had never felt so free! I had a blast driving my Cooper on the highway, seeing the sights, enjoying the sun and the breeze, trailing behind Jasper in the moving truck. I wasn't even all that nervous when we reached the Canadian border. Carlisle did most of the talking, explaining who we were, how long we were staying, and ten minutes later we were all cleared to drive on through.

The real nerves didn't come until we were driving into the town of Hope. I could barely keep my eyes on the road. They kept wondering over to the Fraser River which ran parallel to the highway, to the green slopes of the Cascade Mountains around us and the gloomy grey sky above. The sky had turned from bright and sunny to a deep grey overcast once we had reached Canada, which was all the better since it had allowed us to get out of our cars without the border police questioning our sparkling skin tone.

I looked in my review mirror and locked eyes with Jacob. Although he had left twenty minutes ahead of everyone else, we had managed to catch up with him and he had been following behind me ever since. I smiled and gave him a back handed wave to express my excitement; he chuckled in response.

We drove through the centre of the small town. A population of eight thousand people seemed relatively small, even for someone like me whom spent most of her days locked up in her house. As I followed Jasper's truck down the streets I tried to catch sight of any teenagers. I wanted to get a glance of someone my own age, see what they wore, where they stopped to hang out and how they fit into this little town.

As if reading my mind Jacob honked his horn just as we came to a stop at an intersection. I looked back and saw him pointing at a brother and sister whom were fighting on the street outside a bakery. The girl looked to be about six years old and she was tugging her

Barbie away from her older brother with such force that her face was as red as an apple.

I could hear Jacob's chuckle and forced a laugh myself. _Someone my age, indeed._

We drove through the intersection and turned right down 6th Street; a street lined with fancy little shops including a coffee shop named Cuppa Joe's which seemed to be very popular. I watched a group of girls leaving the cafe, frappuccinos in hand, when one of them gasped and pointed in our direction. The other's in the group turned and stared as we continued down the street. I could hear giggles and murmurs of conversation.

_"Oh my god - they're all so good looking! They must be moving here from L.A."_

_"Why would anyone choose to leave California for Hope-less, British Columbia?"_

_"Seriously you guys, it's so obvious why they are here. They're probably going to shoot a movie or something. How many times have we seen film crews set up along the Trans-Can? It's so much cheaper to film up here than in Hollywood..."_

I tried to keep my eyes on the road as I caught these snippets of conversation. It's quite hard to not stare directly back at someone when you know they're talking about you. Even if they don't know that you have supernatural hearing and can hear every word they say. Yet I was just as interested in them as they were in me, and I couldn't help but sneak a few peaks at the growing crowd of onlookers as we drove slowly down the cracked road, a parade of expensive cars and huge moving vans.

We finally turned off of 6th Street and I could feel myself relax again as we headed down a road that was more densely populated with trees, rather than people. Fifteen minutes later and we turned left onto a dirt road, hidden in the shadows of the large evergreens; it was long, narrow and winding and led us up hill.

The drive up the dirt road seemed to take a lot longer than just ten minutes. To me it felt like a life time. By the time we finally drove into the clearing, and caught sight of my new home, I was so anxious that I nearly jumped out of my still moving car. Never had I seen a house so big and stylish.

It was five thousand square feet of solid wood and glass, towering three stories high with a five car garage. The house sat in a man-made clearing, a perfectly round circle with trees all around and a grey stone walkway leading up to the double front doors. I quickly got out of the Cooper and followed my mother up the stone path and into the house.

I had never seen ceilings so high, nor living room windows so big. Our house back in Olympia had been larger than average but the house that I now stood in was obviously a house of luxury. I made my way around the open concept layout of the first floor, stopping to check out the massive kitchen and brand new stainless steel appliances, thinking what a shame it was that they would never really get used.

Along with the kitchen there was also the living room, dining room, den and a room that had wall to wall book selves. I found the staircase and climbed up to the second floor where I found four large bedrooms complete with ensuites, walk-in closets and sliding doors which lead out to a deck that seemed to wrap along two sides of the house. The walls of all the rooms were bare but were painted in a lovely cream color which made the space feel warm and welcoming. I returned to the staircase and headed to the third floor.

I was shocked to find third floor completely open, void of any partitions, and yet it was only half the space of the floor downstairs. I walked to the end of the room where the wall was entirely made up of glass and two sets of french doors trimmed in gold. My jaw dropped as I opened the doors and set foot on a huge, personal third floor deck. Just as I began to wonder what the previous owners used the third floor for, my mother came up behind me and asked, "So, what do you think of your new bedroom?"

"B-bedroom? What? This? Like, the whole floor?"

"Yes. It's your new room, the whole floor including the deck." she smiled warmly. "Carlisle thought you might like to have your own personal space and this is very open and roomy compared to your last room, don't you think?"

I frowned, "Mom, I can't! I can't have this room. It's not right. You take it; you and Dad. Or else Carlisle and Esme. It's too much for me."

She laughed lightly, a pleasant tinkling sound. "Oh Renesmee, why would we want it when we can never enjoy it? Carlisle spends most of his time working or in his office, why would he need a room like this? And as for your father and I... well we have our own place now."

"You're own place?"

"Yes, do you see over there, past those two trees that look like they've been struck by lightening?" She pointed north and I could see the spot, past the two trees with missing branches and black trunks. "Over there is a little cottage that Carlisle has bought for us. It's not nearly as big as this house but it's cozy and it will give us a chance to reconnect." She smiled again at some distant thought and then turned to me, eyes serious, "Take the room Renesmee. No one else will enjoy it as much as you. After all, you're the only one who still sleeps."

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By seven o'clock that night, the trucks were emptied out and most of our items where unpacked. Esme was surveying the house, room to room, jotting down notes on a clipboard as she made a list of paint colors and other items to buy to further enhance the house with. I trailed along side of her, giving my opinions and imagining with some excitement how her visions would come alive.

I found it to be an easy task, until I reached my bedroom.

"So Renesmee, any ideas on how you would like your room?" asked Esme with a smile.

I came up short. "Um... uh..."

I scanned the room that was now packed with boxes and my double bed. I tried to image my room as it had been in Olympia. Light blue walls covered in posters, my purple quilted comforter with lavender bed sheet and the countless number of teddy bears that had been stacked in a corner. The thought of it all made me cringe.

"Well... I think that firstly, you need a new bed. This one is nice but it looks so tiny in the room. What do you think?" coached Esme.

"Yes, I agree. How about... um, a dark wood headboard, a nice rich chocolate color. And maybe white bed sheets and a deep red comforter?"

"That would look very nice, very mature. How about if we pick out a matching desk, nightstands and set of drawers to go with it? All in the same rich tone of brown, and add accents of red and gold here and there? What do you think?"

I smiled at the thought, "Yes, that would look great."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_**Renesmee**_

I woke up to the sound of gently pouring rain, and for a moment I forgot where I was. I crawled out of bed, headed for the deck and stepped out. The cool drops felt good on my warm skin and within minutes my tank top and shorts were soaked and clinging. I walked to the edge of the deck and peered across the sky where the sun was just making its way over the mountain tops. The forest around me looked magical in the light grey haze. I sighed and rested my chin in my hand, catching sight of the smoke rising up from the little stone chimney in the north.

The thought of Jacob crossed my mind and I began to wonder how things had gone last night at his new place. I was apparently not invited into the condo until he had a chance to unpack and set things up. I thought this was a little strange but at the time had shrugged it off and ran to help Esme with her vision, too busy and excited for anything else. But now that my mind was not distracted with paint colors and such, I found my self wondering why Jacob had left so early and why I wasn't allow into his new home.

_Yesterday wasn't so bad... Sure he was acting a little weird, but he was probably just trying to get used to the new me. At least he didn't seem mad... uncomfortable, yes, but not mad. That's got to be a plus._

The sun finally made its way over the mountain tops, barely noticeable behind the thick wall of clouds. I smiled at the sudden chirping of birds. It was as though the sun was their cue to sing. Heading back into my room, leaving the French doors open behind me, I grabbed the towel from last night and dried my now curly hair. I rummaged through one of the cardboard boxes till I found a baby blue track suit that looked like it might still fit.

The pants, which had always been cozy were now snug and the zipper on the jacket would not close over my breasts. I dug around some more and found a cotton tank top which I slipped on under the jacket, grabbed a pair of worn sneakers and headed down stairs.

It was silly of me to be surprised at what I saw on the first floor. It only made sense that because none of my family slept that they would have to spend the night doing_ something._ But to see all of Carlisle's books on the shelves in his office, and his desk set up and lamps plugged in, and to see the dining room and living room freshly painted and decorated with furniture, frames and candles... I shouldn't have been shocked, but I was.

"Whoa... you guys even painted? Where on earth did you find paint in the middle of the night?" I asked when I found them lounging in the living room.

Esme smiled, "There's a Walmart in Vancouver that's open twenty-four hours. I was going to wait until Benjamin Moore opened today, but I needed a way to pass the night and thought I'd give it a try. What do you think?" she waved a hand, motioning around the room.

"It looks great. But are we still going shopping then?" I asked.

"Of course we're going shopping! We still need to buy for your room, plus we could all use some new clothes for school. Vancouver isn't Milan, but it will have to do." said Alice as she eyed up my track suit. "Renesmee, you're not seriously planning to where that out today, are you?"

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

"Firstly it's too small," said Rosalie, "and secondly, track suits are so out."

"But I don't have anything else to wear. Nothing fits me." I moaned.

"Which is exactly why we are going shopping." said Alice as she threaded her arm in mine and lead me out the front door.

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Shopping in Vancouver was ridiculously fun and annoying at the same time. Esme, Rosalie, Alice and I spent most of our time on Robson Street, jumping from one high end shop to the next. While the others were focused on purchasing the very feminine and very sexy outfits, I was dead set on getting a few pairs of jeans and cotton tees.

"Renesmee, you are getting that dress no matter how much you frown. It looks amazing on you!" said Alice of the BeBe cocktail dress.

"Yeah but this will be like the tenth dress that I'll have bought. When do I get to buy some casual stuff? I just want a pair of worn-in jeans." I said as I did a little spin and watched the little black dress lift and swirl around me.

"Why are you so hung up on going to American Eagle? I don't think any girl in the world, but you, would choose to go shopping at American Eagle rather than Armani." said Rosalie as she folded her arms.

"I didn't complain at Armani, I spent over four grand! It's just that..." I dropped my voice so the girls looking through the sweaters near by couldn't hear me. I could tell by the careless way they held up the tops and then dropped them again that they were not really looking to purchase a sweater, rather they were trying to catch snippets of our conversation and sneak quick glances in our direction. I could tell this not only because of the lack of interest in the merchandise, but also for the fact that they had followed us into the last two stores, and hadn't spent a dime in either.

"I look around at all of these teenagers and they aren't wearing Armani coats and carrying Gucci bags. They are wearing comfy jeans, a nice simple top and flats. I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb, but I don't want to be boring and average either. I want to have a few nice pieces and a few -"

"Crappy pieces, we get it." interjected Rosalie.

"Rosalie, don't be rude." frowned Esme. "I completely understand what you mean Renesmee. And I promise that once we are done here we will head straight for the closest American Eagle store."

"But first we need to stop and get some lingerie while we're still in the area. There is this little boutique down the block that is too cute." squealed Alice.

We left the shop and headed to the lingerie boutique that Alice had mentioned. As with the other shops we had visited that day, the moment we opened the doors, all eyes were on us. I pulled my eyes away from the staring brunette and headed to the far end of the shop, away from the sales counter. The boutique was decorated with a French burlesque theme that incorporated a lot of the deep reds, golds and creams that I had selected for my bedroom. As I walked down the aisles of lacy bras, corsets and panties, I couldn't help but wonder how very mature my color selection had been.

For the first few minutes I was left to browse the racks alone as the girls selected items for themselves. The horror began when Alice, on her way to the changing rooms, realized that my hands were empty.

Without warning I was shoved into a changing room and expected to put on a lacy bra and panty set. Not only was that scary enough, but judging from the whispers outside, they were waiting for me to come out. I took a deep breath and stared at the black, C-cup demi-bra in horror. I lifted the lace off the hanger and held it up against my shirt. The straps and the cups were so small... I could feel the breath catch in my throat.

"I can't do this." I called out over the changing room door.

"Of course you can do this, just put it on and come out. It's only us out here, they've drawn the curtain so none of the other customers can see." explained Rosalie.

"Yeah but _you're _out there." I moaned. "I can't do this!"

"What if I get you something less... um... ahhh! Here we go. Try this on sweetie," said Esme as she swung a nightgown over the door. I grabbed the red silk and pulled it down. It was much less scary than the bra. It was silk and short but at least it wasn't see through.

I slipped out of my clothes and shivered as the silk slid down my back. I adjusted the straps in the mirror and opened the door.

"That looks very nice. How do you feel?" asked Esme.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"How do you feel?" repeated Rosalie, "Does the silk feel soft and cool against your skin?"

"Yes," I replied.

"When you look at your self in the mirror and see your curves beneath the fabric, don't you feel beautiful?" asked Alice.

"Uh... yeah, I do." I replied and felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I viewed my round butt beneath the silk. I suddenly felt very awkward and yet, confident as well. Embarrassing as it was to know that my family was watching me in this intimate moment, I didn't want to change out of the nightgown. It made me feel beautiful and desirable.

"There's a lot of stuff to try on, so why don't you head back in there and at least try on the bra, so we know if it's the right size, and the rest of it you can try on in private." suggested Alice.

I did try the bra on, and the boy-cut lace panties as well. I tried to adjust myself in the mirror, but there was really nothing to adjust. Where on normal girls, I would imagine, a bra is supposed to support and hold the breasts, mine were so firm and high that the bra was merely a pretty accessory that added a little mystery with its black lace pattern and demi-cut cups. The fact that my areola and nipple were nearly exposed over the top rim was enough to make me blush, again, and I slowly stepped out of the change room, eyes to the floor.

"I think that's a perfect fit for you." said Alice as she walked around me, lightly tugging on the back of the bra. "What do you think?" she asked.

I looked up and at her serious, calm face. "Yeah, I actually kind of like it."

"Good, now go back in there and we'll pick out some things for you to try on." instructed Alice, "And don't worry, you don't have to come out and show us."

With in minutes I had a large pile of items to try on, and despite my earlier hesitation, I displayed each and every piece for them. Of course it was much easier to do so when I wasn't the only one in my underwear. Soon we were all parading in and out of our changing rooms, offering complements and suggestions, and before long I was leaving the boutique with over a thousand dollars in underwear and sleepwear.

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I could feel the sun's rays playing across my closed eyelids. Warm and inviting, they woke me up and I found myself laying belly down in my new king sized bed, underneath a satin crimson comforter. I rolled over and propped myself up on the cream colored pillow cases and took in the sight of my newly decorated room. The previous day, Alice and I had unpacked all of our purchases and set straight to work. Surprisingly I was able to stay up most of the night with out feeling the least bit drowsy, until about three in the morning that is, when I totally crashed onto my bed. Now in the morning light I was able to really enjoy the colors and feel of the room.

The walls remained the same color of warm cream and it nicely complemented the rich tones of the wood found in my desk, dresser and bed frame. Near the doors to the deck was a beautiful cream chaise with gold threaded detail, courtesy of Esme's vision. She had also chosen a pair of Tiffany lamps that sat on two night stands on either side of my bed, as well as the countless other accessories in shades of red, gold, ivory and even black.

Lost in the beauty of my room, I nearly missed the familiar scent and the angelic voice which was my mother. I could hear her somewhere down stairs, talking with Esme, complementing the renovations, and asking about me. I hadn't realized before now, but I hadn't seen my mother since Tuesday evening when her and my father left for their little cottage, hands intertwined and eyes on each other.

Truth be told, I missed her, and before I could stop myself from acting out like a little girl, I was in the living room, tugging at my mother's arm and begging her to come and see my new room.

"Come on, Mom! You need to see how awesome my room is," I tugged.

"Alright, alright." she sighed. "Thanks again Esme, I'm completely lost when it comes to this stuff. I'll meet you back here at noon."

Once upstairs, I gave my mother the grand tour, finishing with my massive and now full closet.

"Looks like you had a great time in the city."

"I did! It was great, granted that the girls kept giving me a hard time about wanting to get some causal clothes..."

"That doesn't surprise me. Alice's favorite form of torture was to put me through one of her makeovers." she smiled at some distant image. "The room looks wonderful Ness, all that's missing now is the deck. Do you know what you'd like to do out there?"

"Um... no, not really. I guess just some flowers and some furniture."

"Why don't you come out with Esme and I later, we're going to go looking for some flowers and stuff. I'm completely lost when it comes to gardening, but I'd really like to do something with the cottage - oh! That reminds me, honey, you haven't seen the cottage yet, have you?"

"No, I haven't. And I haven't seen Dad since Tuesday either." I didn't mean anything by the comment, I was just mentioning it cause I missed him. But I noticed that my mother looked embarrassed and rather flustered.

We reached the cottage faster that I had anticipated. It was a little thing made of wood and stone, and looked as though it was built about a hundred years ago. The yard in front was overgrown with weeds and brush and the trees surrounding the house where so thick and full that barely any sun shone down onto the house. All in all, it looked kind of creepy.

"Wow, nice place Mom." I said with sarcasm.

"We haven't really had a chance to do much with the outside, but your father has done a lot of work inside to make it cozy and inviting. Come see," she pushed open the front door and I entered into a small living room complete with sofa, coffee table and fireplace. The living room was nicely done with white curtains on the window, pillows on the sofa and picture frames on the mantle. I took a step closer and found that all five frames contained some image of me, one where I was sleeping in my father's arms, and one where I was destroying another one of Esme's spoons with my inhuman strength.

"You're always welcome here, Renesmee. I love you very much, and so does Edward, but we just need a little time to ourselves to reconnect. You understand, don't you?" My mother placed a cool hand on my shoulder.

I turned around and nodded, "Yeah Mom, I know. And really, I don't mind. I just missed you, and Dad."

My mother laughed, "You say that now. Just wait till you start school."

I smirked, highly doubting that I would ever get sick of my parents. "Sure, sure. So, what does the rest of the place look like?"

The rest of the cottage was cozy, just as my mother said. The kitchen was small and unused, the master bedroom was a good size and fully decorated with white sheets and mosquito netting on the four poster bed. And in the second, smaller bedroom was where I found my father, his fingers clicking lightly away on white piano keys.

I sat down next to my Dad, on the piano bench and watched as he continued to play silently, eyes closed and a smile on his face. Once he had finished his silent piece, his eyes opened and he smiled.

"How do you like it?" he asked.

"The cottage or the music?"

"The cottage," he smirked.

"Very nice, Dad." I smiled back. "What were you playing, anyway?"

"Oh, just a little something I wrote last night. I didn't want to disturb you while you were receiving the grand tour from your Mother, but I did want to practice before I played it for you."

I lifted one of my eyebrows in question and he answered, "I wrote it for you."

I sat quietly and listened to my father play his song for me. It was horribly beautiful and made me feel all sorts of things as I listened to the rise and fall of the notes. Though it had no words, it spoke to me, clearly expressing a father's pain and joy in watching his little girl grow up into a beautiful woman. While the song marched on I felt my mind fluttering in an assortment of images; recollections of the past, dreams of the future and contentment in the present.

I kept my own eyes closed well after the last note, but when I opened them I found my father staring back at me with what I imagined would have been tears in his eyes, had he been able to cry.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

_**Renesmee**_

The rest of the week passed with little excitement. Phone calls were made to Hope Secondary School, Carlisle settled quickly into the local hospital, renovations on the house were completed and I was spending most of my time out in the beautiful British Columbia landscape.

The forest out here was different from the forest in Olympia. This one was much denser and older, with thicker vegetation and moss. The wildlife sounded different too. The birds and the rabbits, the deer and the mountain lions... it was as if all of their hearts were beating to the same rhythm, the same _thump, dee-dump _a million times over which made me think that the forest was one and whole and alive.

I quickly learned all the pathways in and around town. Kawkawa Lake was only a seven minute run away, and its cool blue water had me visiting nearly every day. It was easy for me to seek around to the quiet north shore and once there amongst the trees, to strip down to my red bikini and dive into the water.

And that's exactly what I had done only fifteen minutes ago. My jean shorts, tank top and shoes where carefully folded and resting on a nearby rock and I was bottom up in the lake, inspecting shiny stones and shells on the sandy floor. Being this close to shore the rays from the peak-a-boo sun were bright enough to cast light onto the floor of the lake, bright enough that I could make out the blues, greens and purples of the rocks below.

I was so enthralled with collecting the tiny stones that time held no meaning, and the splash and _whoosh_ sound of the person diving into the lake went unnoticed. It wasn't until I could sense the beating heart, pounding with great force, making it's way closer and closer to me that I panicked and shot straight up and out of the water like a frightened fish. I caught sight of the empty boat first, bobbing slowly a little ways away before I saw the brown haired young man making his way towards me, swimming with all of his might.

My sudden resurfacing must have caught him off guard because he came to an abrupt stop and shook his head free of water before he spoke,

"Are you alright?" he gasped.

"Yes, I'm fine!" I said a little too loudly considering he was only four feet away.

"Are you sure? You were under water for a hell of a long time!"

"Was I?" I asked nervously. I hadn't thought about the time once while I had been collecting stones. How long had I been under? And how long _could_ humans hold their breaths for?

I wanted to look away from his stern look but I couldn't. It wasn't a mean glare but more of a caring, concerned look. Which had me thinking, "Were you watching me?"

The comment caught him off guard, and his expression changed, "N-no, I wasn't watching you."

"You weren't?" I asked as I folded my arms across my chest. His eyes bounced from my eyes to breasts and back again. He reddened.

"No... I mean, I was on my boat and I just happened to see you dive in five minutes ago."

"And how do you know that I didn't resurface in those five minutes, if you hadn't been watching me?" I didn't mean to push him but I couldn't help it. It was obvious that he _had_ been watching me, so why couldn't he just say so?

As I watched him try to come up with an answer I took notice to how cute he was. He had brown eyes that matched his hair and his lips were a bit plump. And there was something in his manner which made me believe that he was more uncomfortable than I was, even though I was the one in waist high water wearing a string bikini.

"I guess you're right. Sorry for freaking you out." he said as he headed back for his boat.

"Hey, wait a second!" I swam and grabbed his arm. He flinched at my touch and then looked awkwardly away. "Sorry, I just... I didn't get your name."

"My name?" he asked, making eye contact again.

"Um, yeah. Is that weird?"

"No, no... sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me. My name is Benjamin. Benjamin Larken." He stuck out his hand and I shook it. His expression relaxed a bit and he smiled. It was a cute, boyish smile and made me suddenly think of Jacob. Jacob, my friend whom I hadn't spoken to in days.

Since moving here I'd only spoken to Jacob once when he had stopped by my house to drop off some papers for Carlisle. Esme had been teaching me the proper methods of gardening when Jacob pulled up the drive way. Things were normal enough until he suddenly made some excuse to leave, just as my parents came to say hello from inside the house.

"I'm Renesmee Cullen. My family and I just moved here from Washington state."

"I know." He spat out, and then looked horrified at his candid response. "Sorry, I mean I know who you are but I don't know you."

"Huh?"

"I work down at Cuppa Joe's and I saw you and your family pass by on Tuesday," he rushed to explain. "The whole town thought you were here to shoot some kind of movie or something, but it turns out your father is a doctor, right?"

"Um, yeah... Carlisle's a doctor." It felt weird to refer to Carlisle as my father, instead of grandfather, but that was the story we had come up with. Edward was to play the role of my older, biological brother with Carlisle being our adopted father. Emmett, Alice and my mother were Carlisle and Esme's biological children and Jasper and Rosalie were the adopted Hale children.

Benjamin must have sensed some sort of hesitation in my voice because he frowned and was about to speak, but I cut him off, "Sorry, but I better be going. I have some where to be. It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah... it was nice to meet you too." he smiled. I watched him swim back to his boat before I turned around myself and headed for shore.

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"I should have stopped to change! I smell like seaweed!"

"You look fine Renesmee, relax. I swear you'd think you were meeting Valentino or something." sighed Alice.

"You look fine, love. Stop worrying." commented my father. "You just need to remember to relax, and don't look too excited."

"Okay, deep breaths..." I chanted as we made our way out of the car and down the pavement towards the front entrance of Hope Secondary School. Standing on the stone steps was a tall woman in her forties, wearing a green blouse and black skirt and shoes. Carlisle and Esme lead the way towards the woman.

"Hello Dr. Cullen, we spoke on the phone. I'm Rebecca Morgan, Hope Secondary School's principal. How are you today?"

"I'm very fine, thank you. This is my wife Esme," introduced Carlisle, "and these are our children, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," smiled the principal. "I hope you've been enjoying Hope."

"Yes, we certainly have ma'am. It's a beautiful town." answered my father with his winning smile. It was apparent that Rebecca Morgan lost herself in my father's smile, if only for a moment. She quickly snapped out of it though.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves," she smiled at everyone but my father. "Well, why don't we start off with a tour of the building to make you all feel comfortable."

Throughly excited I followed everyone up the stone steps and into the hundred year old school. A part of me was listening to everything Principal Morgan had to say about the school and it's history, but the main part of my mind was busy taking in everything around me. Things I had only seen in movies were now a reality. We were currently walking down a hallway that was wall to wall lockers! Lockers! Old, clunky, scratched up lockers! And soon I would have my own locker to shove all of my books in and my jacket and my boots in the winter... and oh my gawd! A library! The school had it's own library! Rows and rows of books and magazines...

The tour ended far too quickly in my personal opinion and in no time we were in the multipurpose room, or MPR as Principal Morgan put it, each of us seated in a separate desk of which had a piece of paper on it and a pencil.

"That completes the tour of the school. And now I have a test that I need you to complete before you can be accepted into Hope Secondary. I understand that up until this point you have all been home schooled by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, and though there is nothing wrong with that, we need to make sure that your education is up to par with the rest of the students before we can place you in any said grade.

"I'll be handing out a competency test for you to fill out using the bubble sheet and pencil provided on your desk. Instructions on how to use the bubble sheet are on the first page of your test. The test it's self is about two hours long and will quiz you on topics that are normally covered from grade seven up to post-secondary level. Once you have completed the test, please come up the the front table and hand in your test. I have a machine at the front there that will calculate your marks in a matter of minutes and we can then discuss your placement in this school."

The moment the test landed on my desk I scooped it up and glanced over the directions for the bubble sheet. The concept seemed simple enough and I flipped the first page over and started right in on the first question.

I tried to work through the test slowly, as my father had previously cautioned me to do.

_"You don't want to mark down the right answer for every question, because then they'll say that you're advanced for your age and you won't get the genuine high school experience that you're looking for. Take your time, work slowly, pause to think and put in a few wrong answers."_

And so that's what I did. I paused and pondered, or at least I appeared to ponder over every other question even though the correct answer was flashing in my head like a neon sign. Like the question about nuclear fusion. How could I not put down the correct answer of 32 when it was so obviously correct? It was killing me inside... _I can't do it. I can't write down the wrong answer. It's so obviously 32!_

At that moment my father cleared his throat, a loud gesture in such a quiet room and I took it as a sign of his encouragement and choose letter D, answer 45 as correct. _God that hurt._

An hour and a half passed before one of us stood up. Rosalie was the first and the rest of us slowly followed suit. One by one Principal Morgan slipped our bubble sheets into a machine, retrieved it and jotted down a number.

"You've all done rather well," she commented when the last paper popped out of the machine. "There should be no problem with having you all enrolled into senior year. I understand that there are some special arrangements that you would like to be made, Dr. Cullen? Regarding one of your children, is that correct?"

Carlisle stepped forward and whispered to the principal, "Yes if you don't mind I was wondering if it would be possible to set their schedules so that Renesmee is with at least one of her siblings for each of her classes. We've noticed that she's had a hard time adjusting to the move and we'd just like to keep an eye on her and make sure that she doesn't fall behind in any of her courses."

"Oh most definitely, it shouldn't be a problem," smiled Rebecca in my direction as I played dumb. "Alright then, I would like to thank you all for coming down here today and I hoped you've enjoyed your visit and I look forward to seeing you all here on Monday for your first day of classes. I'll mail your timetables out as soon as I get them made up. I'll show you the way out."

"Well, that was fun wasn't it, Renesmee? How do you feel about the prospect of high school now?" asked my father as we left the front doors of the school and into a light drizzle of rain.

"Great. The school's bigger than I had anticipated, and I'm really looking forward to the start of term." I smiled.

"That's it?" asked Emmett, "I expected a bigger reaction from you Nessie."

"Really, like what?"

"Oh, something like this," said Emmett as he suddenly began to prance around in a circle with his arms flapping up and down and eyes wide open.

"Ha ha, very funny Em." I called through the roars of laughter.

"Aw, you know I'm just bugging you Ness. Anyways, Rose and I are taking off up north for a bit. We'll be back in time for the first day of school," explained Emmett as he and Rosalie jumped into his Hummer. "Later!" he called out just as they took off down the street and turned onto the highway.

"I've got to head back to the hospital," Carlisle told Esme, "I'll see you tonight."

"Goodbye, darling." kissed Esme.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day Renesmee?" asked my mother.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk." I answered as I headed down the street. I tried not to think of my destination, but judging from my father's nod of approval, I failed.

"Alright, don't stay out too late." warned my father. I waved in response.

I had a pretty good idea as to where I would find Ricky's Motor Shop. I headed down 1st street and then cut through the forest till I came out on the other side on Highway 1 and found myself standing behind the shop. The rain had stopped a few miles back but my hair and clothes were a bit damp and I hesitated before moving forward. The smell of motor oil was strong, but not strong enough to block out the scent of Jacob. His scent of wood, brandy and cinnamon wafted through my nostrils and pulled me forward.

I walked around to the front of the shop and paused just inside the screen door. A short, hairy man was standing behind the counter, arguing with a very unsatisfied customer. Or at least that was what it looked like, until the woman turned around and said, "I swear to the holy Lord above, Ricky! If you make me cook dinner for you and you're not going to show up on time to eat it..." And ending her speech in what I took to be a lot of Italian swearing, the woman stomped towards me and out the open door.

Completely composed in only a matter of seconds, Ricky turned to me and smiled, "I'm sorry you had to witness that. My wife is a little frustrated with me, as I've been coming home very late most nights. Damn German cars are a nightmare to fix. Anyways, enough about that. How can I help you?"

"German cars?" I asked, unable to stop myself. "Which one are you having problems with?" The man seemed friendly enough. Short, dark skinned, balding on top with a large mustache, he reminded me of the typical old-world Italian men you see in movies. I wanted to help him but the look he was giving me wasn't very encouraging.

"You know much about cars, bella?" he asked with a smile.

"I know enough, yeah." I boasted. "I'll take a look at it, if you let me." The words came out before I could stop myself.

He chuckled, "Okay then, come on back and take a look at her."

I followed Ricky around the counter and into the garage part of the shop. At first the sound of tools, drills and compressors was deafening. I did a quick scan of the room and saw that there were about ten guys all dressed in beige, oil stained coveralls working on seven different cars under some pretty crappy lighting.

As I followed Ricky to the furthest end of the garage I could sense that one by one, each worker had put down his tools and by the time we reached the Audi S3, the garage was considerably quieter.

"Alright, here she is. Tell me what you think." His smile was a mixture of politeness and skepticism.

"Keys?" I asked my voice a tad bit shaky. _Why the hell am I here?, _ the little voice in my head yelled_. What exactly do I think I'm doing? What if I can't fix this car and then I make myself look like a real idiot in front of Jacob and his new co-workers... oh god - why can't I keep my mouth shut?_

Ricky dug into his pocket and tossed me the keys. I opened the driver's side and popped the hood, and then took a peak inside. "Um... can I get some light?"

The entire time I was in the garage was I trying not to make eye contact with any of the workers. It was distracting enough knowing that everyone was watching me thinking 'She's going to make a fool out of her self' that I didn't actually want to see their eyes staring at me. But when the young blond boy collided into me as he tried to hand me the light bulb, I couldn't help but take in my surroundings.

Eight young men were circled around the car staring at me with the same expression of wonder. Except for Jacob. He was standing a foot taller than everyone else, off to the side, with his arms folded over his chest and an amused smile on his face. I felt my cheeks grow hot and hid my face under the hood.

"Thanks," I told the blond boy whom became my new helper. "Uh... would you mind starting her up?" The blond dived into the drivers seat.

"Okay, put her into first... neutral... rev it - just a bit!" I ordered.

"Sorry!"

"Okay, now turn it off and grab me a ratchet."

"W-what size?"

"Three eighths."

"Here you go..." he dropped it into my hand.

"Okay, now hold this here... um, can someone grab me a wretch?"

"Here you go," Jacob's deep voice whispered, his breath hot on my ear. Suddenly my heart dropped into my stomach and my voice caught in my throat. I didn't know why, but with him being so close to me, I suddenly felt like I was going to be sick.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_**Jacob**_

_Does she have any idea what she's doing to me?_

I couldn't take my eyes off of Renesmee as she stood behind the Audi's hood, ordering Ryan around like she owned the place. Not only did she look dead sexy fixing that car, but her curly bronze hair was wet and strands were clinging to the top of her ever apparent cleavage. Her shorts were much too short and her red bikini was peaking through her white tank top, and I would have liked nothing more than to take her right there on top of the Audi's hood and make her moan until she tells me she loves me.

Of course I'm no idiot either and I could sense that the other nine guys around me were thinking the exact same thing.

I was tempted to break up the little party and slap the grin off of each one of their faces, but I really needed the job and the last thing I wanted to do was to ruin the moment for Renesmee. For all I knew, she might be enjoying the attention.

"Okay, now hold this here... um, can someone grab me a wrench?" she asked, and I quickly located the nearest tool.

"Here you go," I whispered in her ear as I moved in close beside her. I got the exact reaction I was hoping for. The other guys all looked shocked that I had made my move so quickly, and Nessie turned as red as an apple. I glared at the guys and a few of them actually returned back to their work. Ryan looked crestfallen, and Ricky looked absolutely clueless, as usual.

"Thanks," she whispered back as she took the wrench from my hand. I grabbed the bulb and brought it closer to where she was working.

"Where did you learn so much about cars, bella?" asked Ricky kindly.

"My whole family is pretty crazy about cars, my Aun... I mean my step-sister especially. But I learned the most from my best friend. You can let go now," she told Ryan and stood up to swipe a strand of hair out of her face, and ended up getting oil on her cheek.

"Well you certainly seem to know what you're doing, so I'll leave you to it. If you don't mind being left in a shop full of boys that is." He added, finally catching on to the remaining leers of his employees.

She smiled, and gave me a sideways glance, "I think I'll be okay."

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"So?"

"So... what?"

"So what was that?"

"What?"

"That."

"That, what?"

"That, as in you suddenly showing up at my job, looking like you just came from the beach, and then fixing that Audi." I asked playfully as we strolled into the forest behind Ricky's shop.

"Oh, that. That's all in a days work!" she laughed and then goes serious, "Well fixing the Audi was a little unexpected and random..."

"Definitely random." I agreed.

"But, well... I missed you."

"You missed me?" I questioned.

"Yeah, why do you sound like you don't believe me?"

"Cause I don't."

"Jacob! Don't be mean."

"I'm not being mean."

"Yes, you are."

"How am I being mean?"

"Well firstly, you haven't called me in like, forever."

"You haven't called me either."

She stopped and looked up at me; big brown eyes, oil still smudged on her cheek, bronze hair curly and wild. It took everything in me not to lean forward and kiss her.

"You're right. I haven't called you either, and I'm sorry. I guess I just expected you to be the first one to call. I don't know why. Can you forgive me?" she begged.

I laughed, "There's nothing to forgive Ness."

"Yes, there is. You mentioned before that you were worried that when I started school that we would lose touch. Well I haven't even started school and I'm already ignoring you."

What was I to say to that?

"Things have been a bit weird between us, haven't they?" I admitted.

"Yeah, a little. But I don't know why. Do you?"

"Hey, why don't you come over to my place for a bit?" I asked, in an attempt to defer the question. "I've finally got everything unpacked and set up. I can order some pizza or we can go hunting, and then watch a movie."

"Sure Jake, that sounds like fun. But when we get to your place, do you mind if I use your shower? I kind of stink."

"Ah... sure, no problem..."

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"Wow, Jake. This is really nice," she complemented as she made her way into my condo. I was ever so grateful that the place wasn't a total mess. There was a pizza box from last night still on the coffee table and a case of empty beer on the floor, but other than that, the place was pretty spotless.

"Thanks, I owe it all to Carlisle. He's been kind enough to help me out." I commented as I watched her inspect the leather sofa in the living room, along with the dark cherry wood coffee tables as she continue on through to the kitchen.

"So, did you still feel like showering?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. But I don't really have anything to wear..." she returned from the kitchen and paused to examine the 56 inch television.

"If you want I can find you something to wear for the time being, while I put your clothes in the wash." I explained as I made my way to the bed room and flipped the light switch.

_Holy Fuck!_

I froze in momentary horror as the latest issue of Playboy was staring up at me from my bed, the center fold of a beautiful blonde propped up in a most seductive pose over a Harley Davidson motorcycle, next to a bottle of lubricate.

"Hey, where did you go?" called Renesmee from the other room.

"I - um - I'm just grabbing something from my room. Uh, Nessie can you do me a favor and check in the fridge to see if I still have any Coke in there?" I rushed as I lunged forward, grabbed the magazine and lube and shoved them underneath the bed.

"Yeah, there's a whole two litre in here." she called back.

"Oh, okay, that's good." I quickly strode over to my closet and removed a pair of shorts and a black tee shirt. I met up with her in the living room.

"Here, you can wear this once you're done showering," I rushed as I handed her the clothes. "The bathroom is down that hallway. Just leave your clothes out in the hall and I'll grab it and put it in the wash."

"Jacob, are you okay?" she asked with a quizzical expression.

"Of course I'm okay." I lied. "Why?"

"Uh, because you're talking about a mile a minute and you're all flushed." Her eyebrows knitted across her forehead and I had the urge to put my thumb on them and smooth them out.

"I'm fine Renesmee," I sighed.

"Okay, okay... in the shower I go." she smiled and floated down the hallway. I went to busy myself in the kitchen until I heard the water in the bathroom run and the shower kick in. As I made my way down the hall I noticed that she had left the bathroom door open about a foot, with her clothes lying in front of the open gap, like a welcome mat welcoming me into heaven.

I quietly made my way down the hall, silently fighting with inner demons that were begging me to take a peak.

_Jacob, you can't do it, man. You just can't. What will happen if you see her naked? Then you'll really be asking for it. How will you ever get that image out of your mind when you're around Edward?_

I kept my eyes to the floor. Every step I took, I looked at the floor. I made it all the way to the bathroom door without looking up. Even when she started to hum to herself, I didn't look up. And just went I thought I was home free, just as I was bending down to pick up her clothes, I heard a thump and a gasp and I instinctively looked up and through the open door to see Renesmee bending over to pick up the soap that had slipped out of her hands.

Carlisle did get me the best condo in the city, so of course my condo had a glass showering stall, and therefore I saw everything. I saw Renesmee's round ass as she bent over to pick up the bar of soap. I watched as she stood up and began to lather the bar of soap over her newly large and perky breasts as the water fell from behind and cascaded on her shoulders... down her torso... to her toes...

It only lasted a few seconds. That was all I needed to see to send my mind racing. I grabbed the clothes and nearly ran back down the hallway, cursing myself along the way.

_Just stop thinking about it Jake; get over it man... she's the same little girl that you were playing Barbie with only a few years ago..._

The problem was that she was so obviously _not_ the same Renesmee. Everything had changed in only a matter of weeks. Her appearance, my feelings, our connection. I didn't see the little girl in her anymore. All I saw was the mature woman that she had now become, well physically anyways. I knew that emotionally and mentally she was the same Renesmee, the same little girl who considered me to be her best friend.

But how long would it take her to realize that I could be her lover as well as her best friend? How long would it take her to realize that I was the man she was looking for? For how much longer would I have to go on suffering like this? Jerking off to pictures of other women when all I wanted was her? All I wanted was her soft, warm, bare skin to rub against my own as I took her on my bed and kissed every square inch of her sweet pale skin...

I shook my head and made my way into the kitchen and threw the clothing into the washer machine. I then busied my self with the living room; straightening pictures, turning on the television, clearing the table of last night's dinner. Anything to keep my mind busy.

"Hey, I'm all finished."

I turned and found Renesmee wearing only my black t-shirt that came midway up her thigh. She had the shorts in her hand, "There's no way I could fit into these." She smiled and handed them too me.

"I-I can get you something else," I stuttered as I realized that she didn't have underwear to wear.

"Meh, it's okay. I'll be fine. My clothes shouldn't take too long, should they?"

"Uh, no, they shouldn't. Make your self at home, I'm gonna hop in the shower." I kept my eyes to the floor as I headed straight for the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

_I can't help it, I have to..._

I stripped down, jumped in the shower and turned the faucet on hot. As the water poured down my body I leaned against the cool stone wall and closed my eyes. I imagined her standing in the shower with me, naked and wet. Her eyes were on fire as she stepped forward and pressed her lips firmly on mine, as her hand made it's way down low and grabbed firmly on my cock.

I bit my lip hard as I imagined her bending down on her knees to please me, when in reality my hand jerked faster and faster. Her mouth was warm, as warm as the falling water... her hair was wild and wet... and her chocolate brown eyes pierced a whole through my heart just as I felt a hugh wave of pleasure come over me as I shot out at the opposite wall.

I was out of the shower quickly after, and wrapped one towel around my waist and used another to dry my hair. I stood in the bathroom looking at my reflection, thinking still about Renesmee. I was remembering the color in her cheeks when I had stepped in close to her and whispered in her ear back at Ricky's.

_Hmm... I wonder if she's still the same little girl..._

My plan was evil, I knew it was, but I had to know. I was dying, slowly dying in a lonely pool, all alone, as I waited for my soulmate to take notice of me. I stared back at my reflection. I knew I was good looking; it had nothing to do with being cocky, but rather the fact that I had a hard time keeping women away.

They always wanted to touch my arms or run their hands down my chest. They would constantly comment on how toned and firm I was. It seemed that once a week I would find myself turning at least one woman down. I was especially glad to be out of La Push for this exact reason. It was difficult to see older women, women I had grown up with, take a liking to me. Like Jared's forty-five year old mother, cozying up to me at her son's wedding, glass of wine in one hand, the other sliding up my right leg as I held little Renesmee on my left.

I can still remember her flirty expression as she continued to call me "Chief Hard Cock", a not so subtle comment, as she leaned forward in her chair so the neck line of her red dress dipped so low that I could nearly see her naval. Thankfully I didn't have to turn Jared's mother down; Renesmee, whom had been staring the woman down with narrow eyes, did the honor for me by delivering a swift, hard slap across the woman's face.

I chuckled at the memory; it gave me the little shove to do what I had set out to do. And so I rewrapped the towel around my waist so that it was low and showing my pelvic bone, and then exited the bathroom while drying my hair with the other towel. I made my way down the hall and found Renesmee nestled on the couch opposite me, watching the television screen intently. I quietly leaned against the wall, stuck my thumb in my towel and did my best at what I thought a sexy man pose was supposed to look like.

"What are you watching?" I asked in a low voice.

"Hmm?" said Renesmee, distracted, and then she turned to look my way. "I... uh - I'm just... um..." It was cute to see her lost for words as her eyes popped out and her jaw hit the ground, and then closed so she could gulp down her emotions. She quickly looked back at the TV. "I'm just watching this program on lions." she rushed, her voice a little high.

"Lions? What about them?" I asked as I stepped forward to view the screen. The Discovery channel was doing a documentary on lions and at the moment a male lion was mounting a female. Renesmee looked horrified and quickly grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

"Uh, yeah, it's actually quite boring." she blushed.

"Hmm... Okay, well I'm going to get dressed and then I'll order some pizza, okay?"

"Yeah - sure! That sounds good." Renesmee nodded like a bobble head.

I smiled and then headed for my bedroom, my heart feeling considerably lighter, knowing that Renesmee was not quite the same little girl.


	13. Chapter 13

Enjoy! :)

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

_**Renesmee**_

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" asked Jacob for the tenth time.

"Yes, Jacob. I'm sure. You're tired and you have to work tomorrow and we live in a town of eight thousand humans, how much trouble can I get into?" I asked. "Plus Alice said she'd meet up with me half way, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Alright, I guess you're right. Just make sure you cut through the forest, okay? Human girls don't go wondering around town at two in the morning wearing short-shorts and a red bikini."

"I'll make a note of that." I smirked. "Thanks for the pizza and movie. I had fun, Jake."

"Me too," he smiled as he lead me out the door. "Good night, Renesmee."

"Good night, Jacob," I smiled and took off down the hallway. I paused at the foot of the steps, waved good-bye and then continued on. It was a cool, breezy night and I headed down the street, across an empty parking lot and into the trees. My eyes were accustomed to the night. It made no difference that the moon was hidden behind a fluffy cloud; I could make out everything as I headed east.

I took my time, enjoying the sounds of the forest and the creatures that were still naive about who I was. They could sense that something was not right with me, I could tell that by the way they froze and their little hearts seemed to stop. They could tell that I was dangerous, but I don't think they realized just how big of a threat I could be.

I travelled onwards, keeping an eye on the streets that ran parallel to the trees to keep my sense of direction. There was the odd car on the road; a sleepy looking man behind the wheel. Then a few minutes later a group of girls in a Ford. I walked on and allowed my thoughts to consume me. Thoughts about school and making friends... thoughts about Jacob and the movie we had just watched...

I was so lost in my thoughts, in fact, that I almost walked into a trap. _Almost_.

I caught his scent just as he jumped down from the oak, and I leapt backward and missed him by a foot. Instinct told me to run and run fast, and so I did. I tore through the forest at top speed, never stopping to look back. I didn't need to look back; I knew he was there. I could smell him. He was a vampire.

I leapt over roots and small bushes... I jumped up and swung from branches... I ran faster and faster until everything was a blur. But he was just as fast. He was just as strong; if not stronger. And I was soon lost, being pushed further and further off my course. It got to a point where I thought about stopping and fighting back. But I knew I couldn't let it get that far. His venom wouldn't kill me but he could still drain me of my blood.

And so I continued to run and I called out for my father. I repeated his name over and over again in my head.

_Edward! Help me! Dad! Help me! Edward! Help me!_

I was sure it wouldn't work. I was too far away for him to hear me. But suddenly everything went black and fuzzy and I lost my footing. I could feel myself falling just as I heard my father's voice in my head scream _"I'm coming!"_

I rolled over and opened my eyes. I was lying on my back on the forest floor, looking up at the twinkling stars through the tall evergreens high above. What had just happened? Did I really just hear my father? Did he hear my panicked cry for help?

"You're pretty quick for someone with a beating heart." came a voice that was so unlike my father's that it brought me back to the present. I shot up in the air and was about to take off running again but I was quickly pinned to an oak tree by a vampire whom bore a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp in the movie Cry Baby.

He had dark brown hair that was gelled up with a 1950's curl and he was wearing a black leather jacket, white t-shirt and blue jeans. I was beginning to wonder if I had hit my head on my way down.

"What are you, gorgeous?" he asked in a deep, silky voice. Under normal circumstances a girl could get lost in a voice like that. But with his fingers digging into my arms, just seconds away from snapping my humerus in two, it had the opposite effect.

"Bite me and you die!" I yelled in his face. "My blood is tainted and it will kill you!"

"Now, you know I don't believe that." he smirked. "If that were true, you would have stopped to fight me. Instead you ran." His eyes darted across my face as though trying to gather some information from my physical appearance.

"I ran because you're stronger than me," I snapped.

"Hmm... maybe so... what are you, lovely?" he asked again as he removed his left hand and fingered one of my ringlets.

"I'm no one. I'm nothing. I don't exist!"

"Oh, but you are someone. A very beautiful someone. And you do exist. You smell like a vampire and yet, you have a beating heart. A heart that is beating rather fast, might I add." He let go of my arm and rested both his hands on the tree trunk behind me, pinning me in with his forearms. His face was just inches from mine and I was forced to stare into his beautiful face. The face of an angel, with sparkling, blood red eyes.

I looked away. I had too. His beauty was pulling me in. He wasn't trying to dazzle me; he didn't need to. I was already drawn to the shape of his cheek, the angle of his chin, the curve of his lips.

I was expecting that he would turn my face and force me to look at him, but instead he leaned forward and planted a cool kiss on my cheek. I snapped my head back to look at him but he was no longer pinning me to the tree. Instead he was seated on a large rock watching me in the dark with a smirk.

"I wouldn't try to run if I were you," he warned somewhat playfully, "I would just have to chase you down again, and then I would be really unhappy cause we'd have to start from square one."

I shifted on the spot and analyzed my options. I could run and this time run in the right direction home, for those few seconds on the ground staring up at the sky told me that I was north-east of the house. I could try to fight the vampire, but really, how long would that last? Long enough to give my father a chance to locate me?

"Stop it!" he warned. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Think. I can tell that you're plotting a way out." he smirked, and then got serious, "Would it make things easier if you knew that I wasn't going to hurt you?"

"Ha! That's rich." I spat. "If you're not going to hurt me than let me go."

"Oh, I'll let you go, once you tell me what you are." he smiled seductively.

"What does it matter?" I asked, my fists clenched in rage.

"I'm curious." he shrugged.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." It was lame, but it was the best I could think of.

"Oh, but I'm no cat." He stood up and strolled towards me, an immortal teenage vampire circa the 1950's, Johnny Depp look-a-like; tall, dark and handsome. Is it strange that in this time of danger that my heart was racing and my cheeks were flushed and my groin was burning with a fire that had nothing to do with my impending death?

I was frozen with my back against the tree, and when he came up to me and nuzzled his head in my hair, a part of me was afraid, but another part was aroused. Something inside of me was growling. It began in the pit of my stomach and was slowly making it's way up my torso and into my limbs.

"You're so warm..." he breathed, and he began to kiss my neck... deep, soft, cool kisses... and without much control I raised a hand and caressed the back of his head. His right hand wrapped around and grabbed my butt firmly and his kisses intensified. I should have been scared, and truthfully I was. A little voice inside my head was screaming, screaming for me to stop. Screaming for me to take the chance and fight him off. But a much stronger voice was telling the little voice to shut the hell up. The stronger voice was taking over, and it was with the stronger, louder voice that I let out a loud moan.

I could tell that my moan only encouraged him further. He kissed the entire length of my neck and then began to move down my to chest, towards my breasts when suddenly his breath became heavy and his body went rigid and cold as ice. I knew what was coming. He was going to bite me, and for a slight moment in time, I didn't care.

But right when I braced myself for the impact, he pulled away from me and stared deep into my eyes and whispered, "No, I can't."

I saw the pain in his eyes. I saw the hurt and I saw invisible tears. I saw all this right before my father came up from behind the dark haired vampire and threw him backwards, twenty feet in the air. I watched the boy get thrown up in the air and crash against a tree. I knew he was strong enough to fight back, but he didn't. Instead he lay still in a heap at the base of the evergreen.

"Renesmee, are you alright?" asked my father as he shook my shoulders and tried to catch my eye. But I was looking over his shoulder and watching the crumpled vampire and wondering why he wasn't getting up. Wondering if he was badly hurt.

"RENESMEE! Are you okay?" yelled my father.

"Yes!" I shouted and looked at my father, "Dad - I'm okay. I'm okay..." I cried, the tears finally began to form.

"Alice, get her out of here." said my father as he passed me off to another pair of cool hands. I allowed Alice to lead me away from the site, but I stopped when I heard my father's growl through the forest.

"What is your name? WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" he demanded.

"Jonathan Williams... my name is Jonathan." replied a weak voice.

"How long have you been a vampire, Jonathan?" asked the cold voice of my father.

"Since eighteen eighty-nine."

"So you know the vampire code. You know the laws?"

"Yes, I know them."

"Then know this; this town is taken. I reside here with my family and that young woman that you just had your filthy hands on is apart of that family."

"Renesmee, stay here!" hissed Alice as she pulled me back. I had already started to weave in and out of the trees to get a better look as to what was happening.

"You need to leave now. Leave and never return or I swear to God I _will_ hunt you down and tear you limb from limb!" growled my father. I could see that the vampire was still at the base of the tree, and that my father was towering above him. I had never seen him so angry.

"Renesmee, let's go! Move it!" hissed Alice as she shoved me forward and we took off at a run without looking back. We seemed to reach the house much too quickly. I didn't slow down. I tore up the steps, whipped open the front door and blew past Esme in the kitchen and Carlisle and Jasper in the living room. I stormed all the way up to the third floor and slammed the door shut behind me. I paced the floor of my bedroom back and forth, back and forth, and finally, deciding that I needed some fresh air, I walked out onto the deck and took a deep breath.

Just as I was about to exhale I heard my father enter the clearing of our yard. I peaked over the edge of the railing and saw that my mother was running towards him.

"Edward, what happened? Where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, Bella. She ran into a vampire on her way home, but he didn't bite her. She's fine." answered my father in a soothing tone as he pulled my mother into a hug.

"Oh my god! Where is she? Are you sure he didn't bite her?" questioned my mother.

"I'm sure, Bella. He was able to stop himself from hurting her."

"What? How? Edward, you lost me. How was he able to stop himself?" My mother was obviously bewildered by the concept. My father however didn't look so confused.

"Can you not remember another time when a vampire was able to stop himself?" asked my father softly.

It took my mother a few moments to respond to that. "Edward... you're not saying that... how could that... no..."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Bella. He's gone. Let's go see how she's doing, alright?"

I pulled myself away from the railing and rushed to my bed. I threw myself on top of the mattress just as I heard a knock at the door.

"Renesmee, love? Do you mind if we come in?" asked my father.

"Sure," I sat up and received the hug from my mother and allowed her to check my head, face and neck for bite marks. "Mom, I'm okay. Really, I'm fine!"

"What happened, Renesmee? I want to know everything." said my mother.

I sighed, "I was at Jacob's all night, as you already know, watching a movie. The movie ended at one-thirty and Jacob insisted that he drive me home but I really wanted to get some fresh air and that's when I called Alice's cell and asked her if she could meet up with me halfway since Jacob wouldn't let up. I left his place at around two and headed into the woods. I was too busy watching the highway and too lost in thought to realize that I wasn't alone.

"It's my own fault," I said frowning, "If only I had been paying more attention I would have picked up on his scent sooner. But I was so preoccupied that when he jumped down from the tree... I was surprised. I knew he was a vampire and something in me told me to run. But he was so fast and soon I was far off course and then I started to call out for Dad... I asked if he could come and help me. And then everything went black and I got dizzy and I fell down just as I heard Dad's voice in my head, telling me that he was on his way."

"You heard your father's voice?" asked my mother, shocked. She looked up at her husband as though expecting some sort of explanation.

"I don't know how to explain that one, Bella." said my father. "What happened after that, Renesmee?"

I gulped and tried not to think about what had happened in the forest. Instead I put all my focus on my words and prayed that my father wouldn't be able to see or read anything else.

"He knew something was up. He could tell that I'm not... right. He could sense that I'm a vampire and yet have a beating heart. He wanted to know what I am. He told me he wouldn't hurt me, that he was just curious as to my nature of being."

"Did you tell him?" asked my mother.

"No. I thought if I could keep him guessing that it would buy Dad some time to find me. He was intrigued and I didn't know what he would do once his curiosity was fulfilled. That's if he could even believe for a second that I was telling the truth."

"What next, what happened then?"

"He... he came up to me and... he waited for the answer..." I bit down on my lip, "In the beginning I was scared, but soon I could tell... well it felt like he really wasn't going to hurt me." I confessed sheepishly.

"What do you mean, Renesmee? How could you possibly know something like that?" asked my mother.

"I don't know... it was how he was looking at me, Mom. It was... he was..." I couldn't do it. I couldn't admit that in the middle of nearly being killed that I allowed myself to get swept off my feet in a heat of passion and let a hundred and twenty year old vampire caress me.

And it turned out neither could my father. My wall had broken down, and by the look on his face I could tell that he had read my thoughts. He looked a combination of mad, angry, shocked, disgusted, sad, quizzical and most of all, worried.

"Bella, I think Renesmee needs a chance to rest." whispered my father as he stood up and and gestured my mother to follow him.

"But Edward," protested my mother.

"Bella, you can question her all day long tomorrow if you like, but she needs to get some rest now." He said without looking at me.

"I don't want to question her, Edward! I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Mom, I'm okay. I'm fine. No bites, no scratches, just a little shaken up. Okay?" I said, irritated. Why couldn't she just get the hint and leave?

She stared back at me with narrow eyes. She could tell that I was obviously not okay but she knew better than to continue to badger me for information, and so she allowed herself to be escorted out by my father.

Finally alone, I collapsed on my bed and closed my eyes. I didn't bother to get undressed. I had no energy for that. I was quickly learning that with my new physical change, my need for sleep had changed as well. I no longer needed eight hours a night. Instead I was able to stay up for nearly twenty-two hours straight. What happened after those twenty-two hours? Well, lets just say that I had to find a bed ASAP or else I would end up on the floor.

At the moment my twenty-two hours were up, and as I slowly fell into a near coma, an odd thought crossed my mind. For some reason, I felt like I understood why a lioness would choose the male with the darkest mane as her mate.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**_Renesmee_**

During the next few days I made regular phone calls to Jacob, but I did not visit him. Nor did I tell him about what happened that night in the forest. I didn't want to think about it much myself, and the last thing I wanted was to hear Jacob rant and rave about how he was right in wanting to drive me home and how I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings.

And so, in an effort to forget about it all, I spent my days busying myself with Esme in the yard and my nights at home in my room reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was my favorite book and although I was an amazing speed reader I forced myself to enjoy every single sentence.

I was able to make the 382 page book last me till the night before the start of school. My dreams that night consisted of Lizzy Bennet feeding scraps to a large fuzzy, russet colored wolf with sad eyes and a large frown. By the morning however, I had forgotten the dream and had only one thing on my mind...

"Okay, how do I look?"

"Wow, you look amazing Renesmee! Nice job with the makeup." complimented Rosalie as she zipped up her high-heeled boots.

"Thanks, I've been practicing." I smiled.

"I can tell. And nice choice with the leggings, Uggs and sweater top. So, how are you feeling about this?"

"Nervous." I admitted. "Mind-numbingly nervous."

"Yeah, but that's typical for your first day of high school. You'll probably feel like that for a week or so."

"A week or so? Oh god..." I freaked.

"Well, don't worry about that now. We have to get going. Do you want to ride in my Beamer? You can make all the human boys hard just by being seen in it." teased Rosalie as she buttoned up her jacket.

"Ew! Just for the record, I don't have any intentions on making the guys of Hope Secondary _hard_."

"Sure, that's what you say, but I heard all about you and that vampire last week."

"WHAT?" My jaw hit the floor. I grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back and away from the front door. "What did you hear? And from who?" I whispered.

"Relax Nessie, don't be ashamed. Alice saw you making out with that vampire... what was his name?"

"Jonathan. And I wasn't making out with him!"

"Yes, that's the one." she said, ignoring my comment. "Like I was saying, she apparently found you moments before your father and when she saw you two going at it, well she froze. She had been under the impression that you were in some kind of danger, when really you were just getting it on with some hot guy. Of course when Edward got there all he saw was a vampire whom was about to bite his sweet little baby and so he reacted. But Alice saw what she saw and later that night Edward saw it through Alice's eyes and well, he called Emmett on his cell and we came back down and the whole family got together to have this big meeting about you, and-"

"Whoa! Hold on! You had a meeting, about me? What the hell did you guys talk about?" I asked, horrified.

"I told you Renesmee, there's nothing to worry about. Edward is super protective, always has been. He felt that you were in some kind of danger, like you had been _taken in_. He got us all together and made us go on a hunt through the forest looking for the vampire, but we found no trace of him."

"So what now? Is he going to be watching my every move from now on? He hasn't said a word to me about it. No one has, till now." I groaned.

"Like I said," sighed Rosalie as she headed back for the front door, "Every thing's fine. We made him see the light. I don't think he'll be following you around and you're definitely not grounded or anything. But just a word of advice, from me." she added, looking extremely serious, "If you ever run into another vampire again, be careful. Okay?" She softly smiled.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Can we go now and promise to never speak about this ever again?"

She laughed, "Sure thing, Ness."

14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

My first day of high school was not starting off well. My awkward chat with Rosalie this morning made us late and for my first class I was paired up with my father, which only increased my discomfort.

Rosalie and I pulled into the student parking lot just as the morning bell rang. My father was waiting for me at the door and when I met up with him we rushed down the hallway to Mr. Dempsey's chemistry class, and made it just as the professor was closing the door.

"Ahh, you must be the new students. Got lost, did you?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." smiled my father as he pushed me forward and we made our way to the only seats available.

This was not the way I had wanted to start high school. My initial plan had been to be one of the first people into class so I could watch as the others streamed in. Now I was the one being watched, by twenty pairs of eyes. It was nerve-racking.

I took my seat on the far side of the room, against the window in the second row. My father sat next to me and looked completely relaxed as he flipped open his binder, grabbed a pen out of his picket and jotted down the date and course name. I rushed to copy him.

"Alright everyone, I'd like to take a moment and welcome you all back to chemistry class. I'm sure you've probably forgotten everything that you struggled so hard to learn last year. So I figured we'd do a little test this morning in order to assess the damage."

The students groaned collectively as Mark Dempsey handed out a five page quiz and a bubble sheet. Without instruction the students went silent and got right to work on the quiz. I found this one to be just as easy as my first test with Principal Morgan. I tried my best to pace myself and yet unlike last time, I put down all the correct answers.

I just couldn't lie on a chemistry test; I loved chemistry. Even towards the end when the questions changed from basic chem to in depth quantum physics, I marked down all the correct answers. So what if the teacher viewed me as the next Albert Einstein? Could that really be seen as a bad thing?

After thirty minutes my father stood up and handed his paper in at the front desk. I followed behind him and as I headed back to our table, I caught the curious glances of a few students. Whether they were sizing me up because of my appearance, existence or how I had completed the test so quickly, I couldn't tell.

I was glad when I reached my seat. I spent the rest of the class time sneaking glances at those around me.

Fifteen minutes later and Dempsey was collecting everyone's papers. "Well, I'll have the results in for Wednesday's class. I'm sure a lot of you were thrown by the last ten questions on the quiz. For all of you who are wondering whether or not you took quantum physics last year, the answer is no. But that is something you will have to look forward to for this semester. I figured I'd put a few questions on their to give you an idea of what we'll be working on."

"Well, the bell's going to go in a few minutes, so you may as well leave now. Hope the rest of your day is as exciting as this first period was." he teased.

"Har, har." joked a tall, blond boy as he threw his messenger bag over his shoulder and made his toward the door. Just as he was about to walk out, he caught me staring in his direction, misjudged the width of the door and slammed into the frame.

"Oh, shit Jesse, that must have hurt!" laughed another blonde boy, as others chuckled.

"Language, Luke." cautioned the professor.

"Sorry, Mr. Dempsey." replied Luke in a sing-song voice as he left the classroom behind the embarrassed Jesse.

"Ahh... and so it begins." sighed my father as he grabbed his binder and made his way out the door. I was scared to ask what he meant by the comment and so I simply followed behind him, tight lipped. Out in the hallway my mother was waiting.

"So, how was it?" she asked.

"It was okay. We spent the entire class doing a quiz."

"Ew. Well that doesn't sound like much fun."

"It wasn't, but we've got English next right? Hopefully that will be better." I was desperately trying to stay positive.

"Well, there's only one way to see. Do you want to head to class now, or did you want to stop at the bathroom or something?" asked my mother, just as the bell went.

"Nah, let's just head to class. I want to get a good seat."

As we headed down the crowded hallway, I got my first good look at the students of Hope Secondary. In some ways, it seemed exactly like what I had seen in the movies. The bell signaled the end of one class and the beginning of a ten minute break. Student's filed out of the classrooms on either side of the hallways, and immediately found their friends. A few girls were standing in a huddle beside the door to the women's washroom, one kept throwing glances at Jesse who was across the hall with Luke and two other guys, whom were talking, laughing and sizing up the girls around them.

Things did seem Hollywood like, except for the fact that in movies it's the popular cheerleader whom everyone turns to stare at as she walks down the hall, flipping her hair and giggling with her friends. It's not the new half-human-vampire who feels totally out of place, nervous and on the verge of throwing up that people stare at. But in this case, that's exactly what was happening.

"Breathe Renesmee, don't forget to breathe." murmured my mother.

"Right, breathe... right." It was tough. I looked straight ahead and held my binder as though it were a shield as we made our way down the hallway. I caught Jesse's dense stare as I walked by, and I was tempted to stop and say something to him, but I noticed Alice and Jasper standing at the front entrance of my English class and I nearly ran the rest of the way to greet them.

"Hey! How's it going? How are you guys? What's new?"

"Hey Nessie, how was your first class?" asked Alice all smiles.

"Good. Well, boring but good, you know?" I rushed.

"I think you need to relax, Renesmee." commented Jasper as a wave of calm came over me and those around us.

It was wonderful, the feeling of being calm. Having all the nervous thoughts in my head come to an abrupt stop. "Thanks Jasper... I needed that..."

"Anytime." smiled Jasper. "Would you like me to meet up with you after your class? I could offer you some relief from your nerves."

"Yes, please. If you don't mind." I smiled lazily.

"Okay, we'll meet you back here. See you later!" waved Alice good-bye as she took Jasper and his calming effects down the hall with her.

My mother lead me into the empty English class and we took a seat at a table in the first row, again beside a window. I swung my purse across the back of my chair and flopped my binder on the desk. Thanks to Jasper I was still feeling pretty good about myself and the day was looking completely rosy, until my mother just_ had _to ask,

"How are you coping, honey?"

"Hmm? What?"

"You know... with the smell?" she asked.

"The smell? What... _oooh_... you mean _that_ smell."

"Yes, Renesmee. _That_ smell. How are you dealing?" she asked, her face full of concern.

"Um, I haven't thought about it much." I commented just as student's began to file into class. I turned to watch the student's file in. I was interested to see how human teenagers really acted in school, where they sat, what they did with their books and belongings. My attention was side tracked when my mother slid open the window, allowing a cool, crisp, fresh breath of air to blow right into my face.

_Nice one Mom, very subtle..._

I knew she was just trying to make things as comfortable as possible for me, but didn't she trust that I was strong enough to stop myself? This wasn't the first time I had been surround by humans. I was used to their smell by now. Sure some were more tempting than others, but I was always able to control my instincts and walk away.

Slightly annoyed with my mother I lost track of those coming into class. I took a quick glance over my shoulder and saw that nearly every seated student was staring right back at me. I recognized a few students from my chemistry class, but before I could stare any longer the teacher walked entered.

"Bonjour!" smiled a petite woman in her forties with a light French accent. "Good morning everyone and welcome back. Those of you whom have taken French class in grades ten and eleven already know who I am. My name is Madame Beauchamp and I will be teaching you grade twelve English. This morning I will go over the course outline, which includes the novels that you will be expected to read and later you will all be assigned your lockers for the year."

"Lana, could you distribute these sheets for me, s'il vous plaît?" asked Madame Beauchamp to a tall girl in the front row that I recognized as the girl who had been huddled by the women's washroom, staring at Jesse.

The page was the course outline. It listed ten different novels that were expected to be read by the end of the year. I scanned the list. Six books were classics that I had already read. Pride and Prejudice was amongst them. The other four were more recent works; their titles gave them away. _My Affair with Julia_ written by Andrea Jones had most likely been published in the last twenty years.

When the papers had made their way around class, Madame Beauchamp guided us through the expectations of the course. Unlike other courses, English was to be had for the entire school year. It was mandatory that we pass English in order to graduate, and she gave us test dates and let us know how we were to be graded in the course. I could tell from the sharp attention of those around me that this was important information. The atmosphere was different from that in chemistry. I was glad that I wasn't the only one whom was nervous.

After nearly an hour of introduction and a few notes, Beauchamp pulled out a box filled with strips of paper and indicated that as our names were called that we were to step forward and draw a locker number and combination out of the hat.

"Last year I had too many problems with students complaining about their locker situation, and so this year I leave it completely up to chance." she explained as she began to list names in alphabetical order. There were few people in the class with last names from A to C and so my mother and I were the fifth and sixth people called. Of course, Madame stumbled over my first name.

"Re-niz-me Cullen? Is that correct?"

"Actually it's Renesmee. Ruh-nez-may." I corrected as I reached into the hat and pulled out a strip of paper.

"Ah, I see. That is a beautiful name. I believe you and your family are new to the school?"

"Yes, ma'am. We're originally from Washington state." I smiled.

"Wonderful," she smiled and then called Kaitlyn Davis up.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

_**Renesmee**_

I followed my mother out the door and into the hall. "Alright, we'll go find your locker first." She really seemed to know her way around the school, considering this was only our second time in it. As if reading my mind, she commented, "Once you've attended one, you've seen them all. All high schools are built the same way. Lockers are in numerical order and usually begin near the office. So, you've got number one-one-seventeen... that's got to be this way."

My mother was right in her logic. Locker number one-one-seventeen was located just outside a large classroom with a brightly painted door. A sign made out of cork screws labeled that this was the door of the art classroom, where I was to spend a double period in next.

"Try the lock. I want to make sure that you can get it."

The combination lock was easy to open and I removed the lock and opened the door only to be greeted by a horrible smell and a whole lot of flies.

"Oh - my - god! What the hell is that smell?" I freaked. There was dried orange drip stains along the back of the locker and the top shelf was jam packed with plastic bags and more orange gunk.

"I'll go get some cleaning supplies." said my mother as she left while pinching her nose.

I turned back to my locker in horror.

"Oh no, you got Jeremy's locker?"

I turned around to find a girl I recognized from English class staring at me with the most sympathetic face. She was fairly short, about five foot two and had long, brown hair with straight across bangs. She was wearing skinny jeans matched with a purple and gold Paramore t-shirt and lots of gold bangles on her arms.

"Hi, I'm Lauren. Lauren McGill. I'm in your English class." she said and shook my hand.

"Renesmee Cullen." I frowned. "You know the guy who had this locker last year?"

"Yup. He was a really big art geek and seriously into Chinese food. That orange stuff I'm guessing is a mixture of plum and sweet n' sour sauce." She stepped forward, took a sniff of my locker and made a face. "Christ, that's really bad. Why don't we go find a janitor and ask them if they'll help us clean that up? They were _supposed_ do it before classes started, but they were probably dreading it as much as I am."

"Uh, I think my friend just left to grab me some stuff. Thanks for the offer, but I can't let you suffer through the clean up of this disaster." I smiled.

"It's not a problem, I don't mind helping. And besides, my locker is right next to yours so it will benefit me as well." she smiled as she reached forward and opened her locker. My mother came around the corner with a roll of paper towels and a spray bottle. She caught sight of Lauren and she smiled brightly.

"I was able to find a janitor. Hi there, I'm Bella."

"Hi... nice to meet you. I'm L-Lauren." Lauren shook my mother's hand less confidently than she had mine. It was easy to see that my mother knocked Lauren off her guard far more than I did. "Um... why don't I go grab a garbage bin?" said Lauren as she zipped down the hallway.

"She seems nice," smiled my mother, "What were you two talking about?"

"Oh, you know, normal things like four month old rotting Chinese food."

"Ah, so that's what that is."

"What it _was_." I corrected.

"Right. Well, I was going to help you but it looks like you don't need it. I'm going to go find your father. Have fun talking with Lauren. I'll tell Jasper that you're not in need of his services. Oh, and Rosalie should be here soon. Have fun honey. See you at lunch!" she smiled and then took off.

"Thanks!" I called, entirely sincere. For once it seemed like my mother was actually getting my hints, in this case to be left alone so I could chat some more with Lauren whom was pushing a garbage can on wheels and talking with a guy that I recognized from the beach.

"Hey, I found a trash can. Oh, Renesmee Cullen, this is Benjamin Larken." she smiled.

"Hey. Uh, we've met actually... but you probably don't remember me." smiled Ben timidly as he stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. He did look different out of the water. His nicely toned chest and arms were covered by the black sweater he was wearing, and his jeans were on the baggy side. Not huge gangster style but relaxed and worn in. He was also wearing glasses which actually suited him and made him look cuter than I remembered.

"I remember. You saved my life at Lake Kawkawa." I smiled.

"Ha, yeah, that's me alright." he blushed.

Lauren was watching us both. I caught her suspicious gaze and rushed to change the subject.

"Uh, thanks for the garbage can." I smiled and grabbed a fist full of plastic bags and got to work. There were more flies than I expected and they came streaming out of a deformed styrofoam container.

"Ugh - Nasty!" said Lauren as she grabbed the spray bottle and doused the locker. We soon had the disaster under control and by the time all the orange goo was cleaned up the bell for the start of third period rang.

It turned out that both Lauren and Benjamin were in art class with me and so I sat with them and left Rosalie to sit all by her self. She didn't seem to mind though and gave me a little wave of acknowledgement at the beginning of class. The art teacher was named Robyn Joyce and she was a large, friendly woman with a strict but fun attitude. She made her passion for art clear and warned us about slacking off in her class. At the same time however she was swearing and had a radio playing jazz music at the back of the room. Lauren whispered that she thought that Robyn was the best professor in the school.

After introductions we started working with some paint. We were each positioned in front of a large canvas and were instructed to create a piece that represented our summer vacations. I sat myself in between both Lauren and Ben and stared at my blank canvas for five minutes in horror, until my frightened face finally caught the attention of Robyn. She made her way through the rows of canvas, making productive comments to students on her way to me.

"You look worried." she smiled.

"I don't know where to start. It just looks so... big."

"Have you ever taken art before?"

"No, and I'm starting to think this was a bad idea." I was looking over at Lauren's work and saw that she had painted out an abstract image of the Eiffel Tower and was adding pink blossoms down the right side of her canvas. I didn't have to ask what she had done this summer. It was obvious by looking at her painting that she had been to France.

"I'm sorry but I don't remember your name." replied Robyn.

"Renesmee Cullen." I sighed.

"Well Renesmee, it's important to understand that art is just like music. There is only so much that you can be taught on the subject. Everything else must come from you. You have to look inside your self and find that creative spark. Art is more than creating an exact replication of the world. That's boring to look at. If I wanted to see a tree or a flower I would just go outside and look at one. What I want from you is emotion. I want to look at your canvas and feel your emotions. For example, I noticed you were looking at Lauren's work. What do you see?"

"I see that Lauren spent the summer in France."

"Really? Are you sure that's the message she's trying to convey?" asked Robyn as she stepped forward to Lauren's painting. Lauren put down her brush and took a step back. "Do you see how she's using a lot of blues and black. And her tower isn't erect and strong; she's blurred the lines as though she's looking at it through a dream or memory."

As it was being pointed out to me, the painting made more sense. There was much more on that canvas than just a tower and some flowers. There was emotion. There was desire and longing and, a hint of anger? Maybe...

"You didn't go to France, did you?" I asked and Lauren shook her head.

"No... We - my family - had made plans to go earlier this year, but those fell through," she answered and glanced disappointedly back at the canvas as though it were her parents standing there and not the painting.

"As you can see, it is unfair and unwise to go around asking the artist for an explanation of their work. It is better and much more fun to guess at it. However for educational purposes I do require that students hand in a short summary of their work. I have to be able to hand out marks some how.

"Feel free to walk around and view your classmate's progress at a distance, and when you're ready you can return to your canvas." smiled Robyn as she left to check up on silent Rosalie.

Instead of walking around the class, I sat back down on my stool and dabbed my brush in a glob of purple paint. Without much thought I painted a circle in the centre of my canvas. I added black, then blue and more purple. I continued on in this fashion without really stopping to think about what I was doing or what emotions I was trying to convey. I just painted. For once, I didn't think or analyze; I just acted. It was peaceful... relaxing... it was like having Jasper around.

The two hours passed by quickly and by the end of the class I was just as surprised as Robyn was of my final product.

"It's so... moving. Beautiful work, Renesmee! Is there anything else you would like to add for next class? I only ask because you've gotten so far in such a short period of time."

"No... I think I'm finished." I replied as I viewed my work as if for the first time. I had painted a large dark moon in the center of the page with a forest of trees on either side. The canvas was dark and full of shadows with lots of deep blues, purples and greens. The two images that stood out were the russet out line of a wolf, howling at the heavy moon and the blood-red pair of eyes that seemed to pop out of the moon itself.

"It's so dark, and almost scary." commented a tall girl from behind me. Her voice woke me out of my little daze and I noticed that the entire class was viewing my work. A part of me panicked as I quickly realized how much I had revealed about myself in such a small little painting. I scanned the room for Rosalie and she made eye contact with me and shook her head. I took that as a _"don't worry about it"_ gesture. I hoped that she was right.

Thankfully the bell rang and I removed my painting from the easel and from inquisitive eyes and leaned it against the wall with the others to dry.

"Hey, what are you doing for lunch? Would you like to sit with Ben and I?" asked Lauren as she leaned her half-finished painting next to mine.

"Ah, I've actually got to meet up with my family for lunch. But thanks for the offer. What do you have afterwards?" I asked, hopeful for a companion.

"Hmm... let me see." she dug her hand into her back pocket and removed a folded and crumpled piece of paper that turned out to be her schedule. "I've got Pre-Cal, History and then PhysEd. What about you?"

"Biology, Pre-Cal and PhysEd." I listed off from memory.

"Nice. Hey, Ben, what do you have last period?" called Lauren across the room.

"PE!" shouted Ben from his easel.

"Great, well at least we can suffer through it together. Unless, that is, you like PhysEd?" she questioned with a skeptical look, as though it was bizarre for any normal person to like gym class.

"Actually, this is my first time in a public school, so everything right now is very new to me."

"Like, what do you mean "new"? I thought they still had gym class in private schools, no?"

"Oh, um I meant to say that I was home schooled."

"Home schooled... that sounds like fun." said Lauren sarcastically.

"What about home schooling?" asked Ben as he leaned his painting next to Lauren's.

"This apparently is Renesmee's first school experience. She was home schooled before this." explained Lauren.

"Cool. So are you going to be spending lunch with us?" asked Benjamin, more to the wall than to me.

"Sorry, but I've got to meet up with my family. Rosalie's actually waiting for me so I better go." I smiled.

"Wow! You're related to her? Is everyone in your family so drop dead gorgeous?" asked Lauren bluntly.

I had to laugh, "Well I can't really answer that one, but Rosalie's my adopted sister, so no real relation there."

"Right. See you later, Renesmee." smiled Lauren as she stayed behind with Benjamin and finished cleaning up their work areas.

"Making friends?" asked Rosalie when I caught up with her.

"I think so... they seem nice, don't you think?"

"Yes, the girl seems genuinely nice, and the boy definitely has a crush on you." she smiled.

"Oh, shut up!" I laughed and nudged her arm. She laughed too and we walked across the hallway and down two flights of stairs to the school's cafeteria that was oddly located in the basement.

The cafeteria was filling up with students, but I was quick to spot my family. They were seated along the back wall at one of the long tables, trays of untouched food in front of them and a five foot radius of empty seats around them.

"Hey, Nessie! How you liking school? Here, come sit beside me, you can have my pizza if you like. It smells horrible." smiled Emmett as he slid over a seat.

Rosalie took the seat on his other side and I slumped down in the vacant chair and sniffed at the pizza. It smelt pretty darn good to me and so I took a big bite and swallowed it quickly.

"It's good, so far. I made some friends." I commented between bites.

"Really, that's awesome. What are they like?" asked Emmett.

"Well, Lauren is really nice. She doesn't seem put off by me at all. She did act a _little_ weird when she met Bella and when she found out that Rosalie was my "adopted sister", but other than that she's been really cool. Easy to talk to. And Ben's nice too."

"Ben?" repeated my father with a pained look on his face. "And which one is he? Please tell me that he's not seated at the table near the vending machines." said my father without turning to look.

I casually leaned back in my seat and looked over by the vending machines to see Jesse and Luke sitting at a table with a group of jock looking guys. Jesse was staring our way.

"Uh, no Dad, he's not at that table."

"Thank god for that," groaned my father. He looked worn out. I didn't want to ask why he looked that way. I knew he was listening in to everyone around him. Normally I would ask him what certain people were thinking, but after the awkward conversion this morning with Rosalie, I stuck to eating my pizza in silence.

Soon it became impossible for us to talk to one another. The cafeteria was jam packed with students and our little bubble was broken. There were teenagers on either side of us, gossiping, laughing and joking and for fear of being over heard, we all kept quiet and played with our food.

The hour crept by slowly and I couldn't wait to get out of the cafeteria and head to my biology class with Jasper. He made things easier for me by offering me some peace and calm, and I gladly welcomed the release. The hour in bio flew by, and so did the next hour in Pre-Calculus.

When my mother and I stepped out of Pre-Cal I saw Lauren waiting outside the door.

"Oh, hey Renesmee... I thought maybe I could show you the way to the gym?" she asked while looking nervously at my mother.

"Uh, yeah sure. Sounds great. See you later, Bella." I smiled and headed down the hallway with Lauren. "So how bad is gym class, seriously?"

"It's not that bad, I mean don't get me wrong, there are some things that I like about it. Like every year in November a few of us head up to Whistler for a week and spend the entire time snowboarding and skiing and just having a good time. And amazingly, it counts towards our PE credit so that's pretty awesome." she smiled as she opened her locker and dumped her binder in. "But the in school stuff... well, it sucks. The guys in this school are so hard up on hockey that it's all they think about. Don't get me wrong, some of them are really good. Jesse and Luke are the best players in the town and I know they're hoping to get scouted for the AHL, but they just take the in class stuff way too seriously. I mean, I get it, you _love_ hockey, but really, this is high school not the Stanley Cup playoffs. You know what I mean?" she paused, half way into her locker and I nodded in response.

"Anyways, did you happen to bring some clothes for gym class? Cause you're going to need it."

"Uh, gym clothes?" I asked nervously as I opened the combination lock and swung open my locker door to find a green gym bag, that had not been there earlier in the day, hanging on a hook in my locker.

"Uh, yeah... I did." I replied as I removed the bag and opened it to find a pair of new running shoes, Lulu Lemon yoga pants and a workout top, both in navy blue.

"Nice bag. Lulu Lemon, right? I love those bags. You all set to go? Cause by the time we get changed we'll be nearly late." We slammed our lockers closed and ran down the hallway and into the women's changing room located behind the gym. I had to admit, I wasn't expecting to see a bunch of high school girls in their underwear as soon as I stepped inside the room. It kind of caught me off guard.

It turned out that there was only one changing room and that the curtain was missing and so I had no choice but to follow suit and quickly change out of my leggings and sweater top and into my workout attire.

As I stripped down to my underwear I tried not to look at those around me. I heard one girl whisper to her friend, "_Oh my god, I wish I had a body like that_."

I tried very hard to ignore that comment. I didn't have to be directed towards me. It could have been directed to anyone. It could have been directed at Lauren.

_Yeah, right._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

**_Renesmee_**

"Alright, are we all here?" asked the very stereotypical male gym teacher who was holding a clipboard, wearing shorts and a t-shirt with a whistle around his neck. The class of thirty students were seated on the bleachers, awaiting further instruction and once the group hushed up, Mr. Jackson carried on.

"Okay everyone. I'm sure most of you know what today is all about. Today I need you guys to sign up for all of your PE classes and any teams you would like to try out for this year. Remember, you need to gain twelve credits in order to pass PhysEd. There are ten different options that you can sign up for. Each option is worth a certain amount of credits based on the number of hours that are required for you to complete said option.

"There is also a sign up sheet for the Whistler trip. The trip is worth six credits but it is expected that if you sign up for the Whistler trip that you will in fact be participating in some sports. This isn't just an excuse for you guys to sit around the fireplace and drink hot chocolate. We need to see you on the slopes if you are to gain any credits.

"Also if you are interested in joining the hockey team this year, try outs will be held next Monday at noon. All of you are expected to try out and you will be judged on your performance. We ask that you come ready and dressed to play. Following try outs Mr. Dempsey and I will decide on the team. Names will be posted on the bulletin board outside the gym doors. Are there any questions?"

The room was silent. I looked around and noticed that nearly everyone looked bored.

"Alright, you all have one hour to decided on which classes you would like to take. Please be advised of the scheduled dates of said classes. You can't be at two places at once so keep that in mind when you sign up."

With that the students rose from the benches and drifted towards the walls of the room. There were seven tables set up with large banners over every table indicating the sports and their credit value. At two of the tables there was a teacher present. Mr. Dempsey, the head coach of the Stallions hockey team was seated under the large banner that read "Hockey Credits: 6", and the school's second gym teacher Mrs. Pike was seated under the banner that read "Whistler Trip Credits: 6".

I followed Lauren over to the line up for the Whistler trip.

"I'm stoked for this trip! Last year was so much fun!" she grinned. "Lana took a nose dive into the snow just as she was trying to impress our cute ski instructor. It was priceless! Oh, speaking of price, it does cost quite a bit to go. Do you think your parents will pay for you?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem... my Dad's a doctor."

"Really? Oh wait, Cullen right? My Mom did say something about a cute new doctor who started. She's a nurse," explained Lauren. "But I remember her saying that he looked really young..."

I forced a laugh, "Yeah, everyone says that about Carlisle. They always think that him and Esme are too young to have so many kids."

Lauren gave me a quizzical look and so I dove into the lie.

"You see, Carlisle and Esme are husband and wife. They have three biological children, Emmett, Alice and Bella and then they adopted Rosalie and her brother Jasper, and then me and my brother Edward."

"Wait, Bella's your adopted sister too? I thought you said she was your friend?"

"I did say that, didn't I? It just gets so confusing having to explain the whole story to people, so I usually say 'friend' and leave it as that. But yes, she's my 'sister'." I explained with a smile as I tried to cover my tracks.

As if on cue, Emmett strolled up and smiled at Lauren and I. "Hey, Nessie. You thinking about signing up for the Whistler trip?"

"Uh, yeah I was." I frowned. Undoubtedly he was asking because that meant that he would have to sign up too. Couldn't I do anything alone?

"Emmett, this is Lauren McGill. Lauren, this is Emmett." I forced a smile.

"Hi, it's n-nice to meet you. You're Renesmee's _brother_?" I could tell by her expression at Emmett's sheer size that she was shocked. It also didn't help that Emmett was trying to dazzle her a bit.

"Yeah... that's right. I'm Nessie's older brother." he smirked just before I nudged him hard in the stomach and pushed him away.

"Um, Lauren I have to speak with Emmett quickly, I'll be right back, okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah... sure..." commented Lauren in a daze.

I shoved Emmett to a distant corner of the gym, "Hey, don't do that okay? I really like her, Em."

He laughed, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry Nessie. I couldn't help it though. Did you see the way she was looking at me. That girl's about as tall as a toothpick and shaped the same way."

"Hey! Don't be mean!" I lectured. "She's really nice, and I'm finally making friends, so don't ruin this for me. Now come and stand in line like a good vampire."

He chuckled, "You go on ahead, I'm signing up for hockey."

"Hockey? But - you can't."

"And why not?"

"Cause, if you're on the team you can't come with me to Whistler." I answered plainly.

"And why would I want to go with you to Whistler?" smirked Emmett.

My jaw dropped, "Are you serious? Don't play with me, Emmett. My Dad will freak when he finds out I'm going alone."

"Edward needs to calm down and stop worrying so much. You're a big girl; you can handle yourself."

As soon as he said the words the image of the other night in the forest came bursting to mind. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I am. What happened last week was unpredictable. It's not every day that you run into a vampire around these parts. Don't drive yourself crazy over it. If there's one thing I've learned from being dead all these years is that you can't hold onto things forever."

I smirked, "Well, that's one way of putting it."

"And besides, I highly doubt that your father won't be sending someone to go and check up on you while you're there. But that's better than having me around you twenty-four seven, no?"

"Yes, that's a lot better. No, offense."

"None taken. Now lets get back in line, the teachers are getting suspicious of us."

I turned and saw that Mr. Jackson was in fact eyeing us and so I rushed over to Lauren and resumed my place in line.

"Wow... so that's your brother Emmett, huh? He's so... big!" she commented as she stared at Emmett who was standing in line, a good foot taller than all the other hockey hopefuls.

There was something about the way that she looked at Emmett that made me think instantly about Rosalie going into one of her bitch fits, and that made me change the subject.

"So... what's there to do in Whistler besides skiing and drinking hot chocolate?" I asked.

"Oh, Whistler's awesome." smiled Lauren, coming back to her normal self. "There's skiing - cross country and down hill - there's also snowboarding, my personal favourite; tobogganing, skating, tubing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing... you get the idea. Honestly, it's my favorite time of year. And this year is going to be especially great because I turn eighteen on November tenth!"

"Oh wow, my birthday is on September tenth. I'll be turning eighteen as well."

"Really? Awesome! So we'll both be able to sneak down to Merlin's après-ski for a drink or two." She smiled and then drew one finger over her lips. "Don't let too many people know that that's our plan. It's not like the teachers can really do anything about it, we'll be of age of course, but they can try to stop us by blabbing to the 'rents. I don't know about your parents, but mine don't like the idea of their daughter having a few drinks unattended."

The line moved quickly forward as we planned out our trip, and soon we were signing our names down on the list and getting the information from Mrs. Pike. After that we moved onto the other five tables and signed up for two additional classes, and then headed over to the benches to meet up with Benjamin.

"Hey, did you sign up for the team?" asked Lauren.

"Yup. Coach gave me the nod which means I'll probably be back on for this year."

"Don't you have to try out?" I asked as I took a seat.

"Meh, you do but it's pretty obvious that anyone who was on the team last year will be on this year. Coach doesn't really like to shuffle the deck, unless of course he can find another superstar like Jesse or Luke. Mind you that guy over there looks like he could be a great defenseman." Ben indicted of Emmett.

"That's Renesmee's brother, Emmett." sighed Lauren.

Ben looked lost for words, "Really? He's your brother?"

"Adopted brother. Well, one of two. It's a long story..."

16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16

"There must be some way you can get yourself on that list, Em. Don't tell me that you couldn't have convinced that teacher to add just one more person on that trip." exploded my father.

"Edward, calm down. What's the big deal? Renesmee is a big girl, she can go on a field trip by herself. It's just going to be a bunch of students going anyways. Don't you trust her?"

"Trust her? Of course I trust her! This has nothing to do with trust! This has to do with her getting herself in danger with-"

"With what, Edward? Another vampire? You know how stupid that sounds." replied Emmett.

I had been coming back from a hunting trip with my mother when we heard my father and Emmett arguing from inside the house. We were standing fifty feet away but it was as though we were standing in the room, listening to every single word.

"Tell me what I should do then, Emmett." sighed my father. "I know you're thinking of something."

"I think you should send someone with her, but not have them hang around her all day and night. Get someone, either Rose or Alice, to go with her but stay at another hotel. That way if anything happens she'll have the help she needs and you'll have peace of mind, but she can also enjoy herself and not feel like she's being watched by Mommy and Daddy."

After a moment of silence, my father sighed again.

"I guess that's what I'll do then, since she seems to agree with you." said my father, and I looked at my mother and rolled my eyes.

My mother smiled, "You know he can't help it."

"Yeah well, _you_ don't know how it feels." I replied and headed for the house. My father was standing in the front entrance, a fake smile on his lips.

"How was school, love?"

"Absolutely fabulous, Father." I muttered as I pushed past him and headed towards the steps. Before I could reach them, he appeared right in front of me, blocking me with his body.

"Don't be mad at me, Renesmee. I'm only looking out for you."

I tried not to yell, "I get that Dad. Really, I do. But in case you haven't noticed I'm going to be alive for a very, very long time. Are you going to restrict me from ever doing anything alone?"

"No... I know that I will have to let you go, and sooner rather than later. But Renesmee, you are still very young. You don't know what the world is like."

"At least give me the chance to figure it out!" I begged. "You can't protect me forever Dad. And I mean really, I am a lot tougher than most girls."

He smirked, "Physical strength should not be confused for emotional strength. Those are two separate things."

I bit my lip. I didn't want to say anymore because I didn't like to argue with my father. But I couldn't refrain from mentally rolling my eyes at his last comment.

"Trust me Renesmee, I only want what is best for you. I do realize that you will live for a very long time, and that is why I want to make sure that you are making the right choices now and therefore you will not have any regrets in a hundred and fifty years."

"Can I go Dad?" I asked, tired of the dispute.

"Yes, you may. Don't forget to do your homework."

"Sure, sure." I made my way up the stairs and threw myself onto the bed. My head wouldn't stop spinning. It wasn't like I felt dizzy or anything, it was just really annoying. I had the brain capacity to think of a million different things at once, but who really wanted to sit there and do that? Most of the time I just wanted my brain to shut the hell up. I wanted silence and piece, but it was rarely achieved.

After a few minutes of allowing my thoughts to consume me, I got up and went out on the deck for a breath of fresh air. I leaned over the railing and looked down just in time to see my father head off in the direction of his cottage and see Jacob's Mustang pull up a few minutes later.

Feeling slightly elated, I bounced down the stairs and made it down just as Esme was opening the front door.

"Hello, Jacob. How are you today?"

"Hey Esme, I'm good thanks. Is Renesmee home?"

"Yes, she is. Please come in. Renesmee..."

I bounced around the corner, "Hey Jake, got off early?"

"Yeah, I skipped my lunch break so I could head down here and see how your first day went. Wow, is it ever nice in here." he commented on the house.

"Oh yeah, you haven't received the grand tour yet, have you?" I said in a fake, tour guide voice.

"No, no I haven't. Please, lead the way." he replied in an equally cheesy accent.

I walked up to Jacob and hooked my arm under his. We both laughed and I took him on a tour of our home. He was truly impressed with it's size and Esme's decorating skills. Most of all, he was impressed with the size of my room.

"You realize that this room is nearly the size of my condo." he smirked as he plopped himself on my bed.

"Hey! You can't really count the deck as being part of my room."

"Why the hell not? The furniture you got out there looks more comfortable than mine."

"Maybe so, but it's only good for a few months out of the year." I pointed out.

"That's very true." he smiled warmly. "So, how was your first day?"

"It was good," I replied as I sat down beside him. "I mean the actual school stuff was pretty boring. In chemistry we did a quiz and it was really easy. English was just a bunch of introductions and stuff, and I got my locker. That was an experience."

His eyebrow perked up. "Getting your locker was an experience?"

"Yeah, I was lucky enough to get the one with four month old, rotting Chinese food. The flies were terrible."

"Ugh, that's frickin' gross!" laughed Jacob.

"Yeah, it was bad. But Lauren and Ben helped me clean it up."

"Lauren and Ben?"

"Yeah, they're in a few of my classes. Lauren's really nice. She wasn't afraid to talk to me and she's really talkative, so that's nice. And Ben, well he's the guy I that I met at the lake, remember?"

Jacob didn't look amused. "Oh, the one who thought you were drowning?"

"Yeah, that's the one. He's super shy and quiet but he seems really nice. How was your day?"

"It was okay. Ricky was having some trouble with another car and was asking me if you might possibly be able to stop by. I asked him to let me take a look at it first and we got the whole mess sorted out eventually. But other than that, it's been a pretty regular day."

We were silent for the next few minutes, but it wasn't an awkward silence and I was grateful for that. It seemed like Jacob and I were falling back into the same rhythm that we were used to. He picked up my right hand and placed it in his, palm up and began to trace little patterns on it.

I watched him for a bit and let my mind wander and drift. Being with Jacob was like being around Jasper. He was calming and soothing to my ever spinning brain. Around him I didn't need to fill the silence; we could just be and that was good enough.

"I painted today, for the first time." I whispered.

"Really? What did you paint?" he asked without lifting his gaze.

I smiled, "I painted a full moon over a forest. It was funny how it happened; I wasn't really thinking about anything when I painted it. My hand seemed to move on its own."

"Hmm..." was his reply.

"I painted a wolf too... he was howling at the moon."

He smirked, "Really?" He looked up and into my eyes, "And what do you think that means?"

I stared back into his dark eyes.

If you looked quickly at Jacob you would think his eyes were black. But they were far from black. They were really chestnut with shards of amber and gold. They were stunningly beautiful to look at, and he had the longest, thickest eyelashes I had ever seen on a boy.

He lifted a hand and pushed one of my ringlets away from my face; the motion brought me out of my daze.

"I'd really like an easel and paint. You know... I'd have something to do when I'm at home. I think it would be fun, and I could really use the practice." I looked across the room and imagined a easel propped up and me sitting on my chaise, painting portraits of Jacob and my mother and father. Maybe even Emmett and Jasper mid-fighting scene. That would be fun.

"Would you pose for me, Jacob?" I asked casually.

He smirked, "What? You want me to pose for you? Why?"

"So I can paint you, silly."

"So... you want me to pose right now?"

"No, when I get my easel and paint!" I laughed.

"Oh I see, I thought you meant right now," he smiled and resumed the patterns on my palm. "And how would you like me to pose?"

"Well... would it be silly to say that I want you on all fours?"

His eyebrows perked up and his eyes met mine again. He was giving me the weirdest expression, almost like he didn't get what I was saying.

"You know, I'd want you to pose in your wolf form."

"Oh... yeah, of course. Sure." He shrugged and dropped my hand. "You like me when I'm a wolf, huh?"

I smiled, "I like your fur. It's thick and warm," and without further comment Jacob walked out onto the deck and returned as a giant wolf. I couldn't help but giggle. I noticed that he was eying the bed, however, "Hey! Don't even think about it! You'll rip my sheets apart. Let's go outside instead."

I lead Jacob outside and he sat down next to me in my chair. We sat like that till the sun went down. Me on my lounge chair, and him laying on the floor. I hung my arm off the side of the chair and stroked Jacob's fur from head to back. It got cooler once the sun went down and at one point I remember crawling off my chair and laying myself down next to Jacob, his furry arm around my shoulder keeping me warm. The next morning I woke up in my bed, alone in my room, having no memory as to how I got there but smiling all the same.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen  
**

_**Renesmee**_

My second day of high school went a bit more smoothly than the first. Maybe it was because I knew what to expect now, or maybe it was because I was on time for my first class. Whatever the reason, I found that by the time the noon hour rolled along I was much less nervous and wound up than yesterday, and I was excited to see Lauren and Ben.

"Hey, how was your morning?" asked Lauren as she slid in behind me in line to the salad bar.

"Oh hi!" I smiled, "It was good, how about you?"

"Ugh... dreadfully boring." she rolled her eyes, "I don't know how I'm supposed to stay awake during physics. I just don't get it! I struggled so much last year just to get my credit, I don't even want to think about all the extra homework I'm going to have to do this year. And you know, it doesn't help that Wiseman has the most monotone voice known to man." I watched and laughed as she contorted her face and did an overly animated imitation of Mr. Charles Wiseman.

"Well if you like, I could help you study. I had him first period this morning and the curriculum for this year looks pretty basic." Basic was an understatement. The information that Mr. Wiseman had set out for the class, Carlisle and my father had taught me when I was two.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Lauren's eyes brightened. "Are you sure? Cause I don't think you understand just how much work you'll have cut out for you if you agree to this."

I laughed, "Come on, you can't be that bad."

"I beg to differ." she smiled. "Cool, so when do you think we should start, cause honestly, I don't remember a damn thing from last year."

"We could start this weekend, if you like. Unless you have something else planned?"

"As much as I'm dreading it, I think you're right. The sooner we get started on this the better chance I'll have to pass. I have to work on Saturday, but Sunday I'm all yours. So where do you want to meet? Your house or mine?" she asked innocently.

"Uhhh... we could meet at the library, no? Just cause my house is still a mess with boxes and it's pretty noisy in there." I didn't want to bring up the prospect of her house and I was hoping that she wouldn't mention it again. The idea of bringing a human to my family of vampires scared me as much as me going to a house full of humans.

"Sounds good to me." she said as she forked about five tomato slices onto her plate.

We made it to the end of the salad bar, paid and then I followed behind Lauren as she went to find a table. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Hmm? Oh, of course not. Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends." She headed to the left to a round table with six chairs. Ben was there, talking to a young boy with dusty blond hair, glasses and a long nose who was sitting next to a girl with curly brown hair and horn rimmed glasses. She had her binder open on the table and was reading through her notes.

"Hey guys. Renesmee, this is Evan Sparks and Julia Reynolds."

"Hi. It's nice to meet you both." I smiled timidly as I sat down in between Lauren and the empty seat.

"Nice to meet you too, Renesmee. That's quite a name, does it mean something?" asked Julia curiously.

"Um, not that I know of..." I smiled and looked away. I couldn't just admit that it was a combination of my two grandmother's names, could I? Not when Esme was supposed to be my adopted mother, not grandmother.

"This is Renesmee's first time in high school. She was home schooled before this." explained Lauren.

"Really? I don't think I've ever met someone who was home schooled before."

"Uh, well... it's really very boring actually."

"Yeah... I guess it would be. Do you have any brothers or sisters who were home schooled with you?" asked Julia.

"Yes, actually... one brother, and five adopted siblings."

"Wow, do you all get along?" asked Julia wide eyed.

"Oh yeah, for sure. We're pretty close..." I thought back to yesterday night, "for the most part, anyways..."

"Hey Julie, did you sign up for Whistler?" asked Lauren. I was grateful for the change of topic and took the opportunity to eat some of my salad. It was alright, but the ranch dressing that I choose was making my stomach churn. I tried to pick at the leaves that were dry while I listened to the girls talk.

"Yeah, I did. I'm just praying that my Dad will be willing to pay for it again. I nearly had to pay for last years trip on my own. How about you? Do you think your parents will pay?"

"I'm going fifty-fifty with them. It's the least they can do after what happened this summer."

"Are they still fighting?" asked Julia quietly.

"On and off. My Mom is still really pissed that my Dad accused her of cheating. She's sure that he's just bent outta shape over losing his job. I think he really misses being outside... this summer was really bad... but he started his new office job yesterday, and I think it went well." I watched as she pushed a tomato slice around her plate.

"So, what are you boys talking about?" Julia turned to Evan.

"Oh, I was just talking to Ben about my most recent article on TrekWeb." smiled Evan.

"TrekWeb?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's a fan site for Trekkers like me." he smiled. "Do you know anything about Star Trek, Renesmee?"

"Uh, no. Can't say that I do. I'm more of a movie buff myself."

"What kind of movies do you like?" asked Ben from across the table. He was leaning forward on the table, the sleeves of his black sweater pushed up to his elbows, and he was staring at me as though the next words out of my mouth were going to be super interesting.

"Uh... I don't know... a little bit of everything. Comedy, Sci-Fi, action - speaking of action, did any of you watch the latest Bond movie?"

"Oh god, you didn't actually watch that did you! Please tell me you were dragged!" laughed Lauren.

I laughed too, "Well I wouldn't say that I was dragged but it was between _Red Velvet _and _A Love Lost_ and I just couldn't make Jacob sit through nearly three hours of mushy romance. It's not really his thing."

"_Ohhh_... who's Jacob? Is he your boyfriend?" asked Lauren excitedly.

"What?" The question caught me off guard, and so did the fact that everyone was suddenly staring at me, waiting for me to answer.

"No, he's just a close family friend. He's my best friend, actually."

"Ah, well, you know, that's how it starts sometimes." said Julia sincerely, "Evan and I have been friends since grade two, and now we've been dating for three years. It could totally happen." she smirked.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Was what came out of my mouth. But was it the truth? Before I had a chance to think, the conversation changed over to Ben trying out for the school's hockey team and I quickly forgot all about it.

17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17

"So what would you like for your birthday?" asked Jacob as he sat next to me on my bed.

"Hmm... I dunno. Nothing really. Dad already said that he'd get me my paint and easel, and that's all I really want anyways."

"Well I've got to get you something."

"Jake, you don't have to get me anything."

"No, you're wrong about that. I _have_ to get you something. You only turn seven once. Lucky number seven!" he teased as he frizzled my hair.

"Hey, quit that! Do you have any idea how long it takes me to get my hair straight like this?" I got off the bed and walked towards my vanity table and checked my hair in the mirror.

"Sorry, Ness. I didn't realize that your hair was suddenly such a big deal for you." smirked Jacob.

"It's not. I mean, it is. Well... it's a big deal when you're in high school. People are always judging you, you know?"

"Uh, yeah, I do know. I went to high school, remember?"

I turned around and walked back to the bed and plopped down on the other end. "Yeah, but you're a guy. Guys don't have to worry about much in high school, except their virginity and when and how they lose it."

Jacob's jaw dropped, and he looked slightly angry, "O-kay... and where the hell are you getting this information from?"

"I do watch a lot of movies, Jacob. I know what goes on in the boys' locker room." I said matter-of-factly.

He laughed and the crease between his eyebrows disappeared, "You can't seriously think that just because a bunch of Hollywood scripted movies portray all teenage boys as single minded, horny little turds that that's how it is in real life."

I sighed.

_Of course that's how I think it is. What else do I have to go by but what I've seen in movies and what I've read in books and magazines?_

"Please, Jacob, I'm not stupid. I know the difference between movies and real life. All I'm saying is that it's harder for girls in high school because they're being critiqued on everything. Clothes, shoes, hair, makeup. Boys aren't going to school and gossiping about what that other guy is wearing or how big so-and-so's butt is. That's all girl stuff. And all I want to do is to fit in. And all I'm asking is that _you_ don't ruin my hair."

I finished my rant only to have Jacob smirk and then lunge on top of me and start to frizz my hair again with his hands. I shrieked and kicked him off and ran out onto the deck. I jumped up on the railing and watched as he came running out towards me. I gracefully leaped over his head, just out of reach and ran back into my room.

I couldn't help but giggle as he followed me, hunched over and staring at me with narrow eyes.

"Think you can out smart me, do yeah?"

I giggled and nodded, and then tore down the steps and out the front door at top speed. I briefly heard Esme shout that there was to be no running in the house, but I didn't stop and neither did he. I ran down the familiar path to Lake Kawkawa and didn't look back. The sun was setting quickly in the evening sky and the lake was quickly turning a lovely shade of navy blue. I rounded the tallest tree I could find and scaled up the beast as fast as I could.

"Ha! You're not going to lose me like that!" shouted Jacob and I could sense him at the base of the tree, slowly making his way up.

Excited about the chase, I didn't hesitate to walk across a sturdy branch that branched out over the deep blue water. The bottoms of my flats dug into the rough bark as I walked all the way to the end. I peered out to the lake below and turned around to see Jacob at the other end of the branch, smiling.

"It'll break if you try to walk it. It's not sturdy enough for your weight." I called across.

He shrugged, "I don't mind a few bruises." He grinned and took a step forward at which point I allowed myself to fall back into the cool evening air and dove into the crisp lake. It was fun to free fall backwards, and land effortlessly into the water. I had never visited the lake before in the evening and dove down to the bottom to see if maybe my pebbles sparkled as beautifully in the setting sun as they did during the day.

I soon realized however that something was wrong with this picture. I wasn't so much diving to the bottom as I was sinking. It was the sweater dress that I was wearing; it was weighting me down. It was unbelievably heavy and in an attempt to free myself from the garment I ended up frantically flailing about in the water.

It must have caught Jacob's attention because within seconds he had dived into the water after me and helped me rip off the sweater and swam me to the surface. I began to gasp for air once I reached the surface, more from the fear of drowning than for the actual need of oxygen.

"RENESMEE! ARE YOU OKAY?" asked Jacob in a panic. He cradled me in his arms and allowed me to cough up all of the water I had stupidly inhaled. After a full minute I was feeling much better and he dropped my legs back into the water but kept ahold of my waist.

I pressed my face into his wet black t-shirt and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I'm an idiot." I whispered.

"Hey... why do you say that?" he asked in a calming voice.

"Pft. Cause I started to freak out and panicked when I was down there, when all I had to do was just relax and pull off my sweater. I inhaled so much water! Ugh... I'm so lame."

"You're not lame, Renesmee. You panicked, that's all. I know you could have gotten out of it, I just didn't want to sit there and wait for it to happen."

We floated in the water silently for a long while before I lifted my cheek off of his chest and stared up at him.

"You okay, babe?" he asked soothingly as he ran the back of his fingers down my cheek.

"I just want you to know that this doesn't count as you catching me. I still out smarted you."

"No you didn't, babe." he smirked as he lifted up one of my perfectly returned ringlets and fingered it.

"Pft. Whatever." I rolled my eyes and gave him one last tight hug before I pulled away and headed back to shore.

"Hey, did you want me to grab your sweater?" called Jacob.

"Meh, it's pretty much ruined now. May as well leave it." I walked onto the shore and stripped off my leggings, that's when I noticed that my shoes were missing too.

"Oh no! My shoes! Shit!"

"Your shoes? The ones you were wearing? The purple ones?" called Jacob.

"Yeah, they're gone. Ugh, but don't bother looking for them, they're ruined as well." I called out as I rung the water out of my leggings.

"Are you sure? I could dive down and check."

"No Jake, don't worry about it. Come out of the water, there's no point in you staying there."

"Are you heading back home?" he called.

"Yeah, Esme's probably wondering where I'm at. Aren't you coming?" I asked.

"Uh... I'll meet up with you in a bit. The water's really nice right now. I'm kind of enjoying this." he smiled.

"O-kay... see you in a bit."

I shook out my leggings and slowly made my way back towards the house. I took my time making sure no one was following me, lest they catch me in my blue bra and thong. How embarrassing would that be?

I reached the house twenty minutes later and went in through the back door, hoping to avoid everyone at home. I was able to sneak up to my bedroom unnoticed and hopped into the shower. I had wrapped my hair in a towel just as the doorbell rang and I heard Alice ask Jacob why he was wet.

"I felt like going for a little sunset swim. Renesmee home?" asked Jacob.

"Jacob come up!" I shouted from the stairs. I headed to my closet and grabbed a pair of undies and my pjs and returned to the bathroom to change.

"Hey, you in here?"

"Yup." I smiled as I walked out of the bathroom still drying my hair. "Come in, aren't you going to stay?"

"Nah, I better not. I smell like seaweed and I don't want to drip all over your carpet. I've got an early morning tomorrow anyways. I'll see you later, kay?"

"Sure. Good night Jacob. Thanks for saving my life." I smiled.

"No problem, babe. 'Night." he smiled and then headed back down the stairs and out the front door.

_Hmm... that's the third time he's called me 'babe' tonight..._

_Meh... it's probably nothing..._


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

_**Renesmee**_

I woke up Wednesday morning with high hopes for the day. After all, Tuesday had been great and I felt like I was really getting a hang of the whole human teenage high school experience. Everything was going good, until classes started.

"Morning everyone. I've got your marks from the test you all wrote on Monday. I have to admit, I'm not surprised with your marks. We've got a lot of catching up to do if you all plan to get grades that are good enough to get you post secondary. So this morning I'm going to hand these out and we're going to go through them. Don't you all get too excited now," smirked Mr. Dempsey as he began to hand back the papers.

I watched the reactions of those whom got their papers first. Most looked disappointed, a few looked like they could care less and some were relieved. When Mr. Dempsey reached my father and I, I was, for some silly reason, slightly worried.

"Impressive. You both scored one hundred percent on the test. Even the questions on quantum physics were very well reasoned. What school did you attend prior to this?"

"We were home schooled, Sir." answered Edward.

"Yeah, my father taught me everything I know." I said with pride and smiled at Edward.

"Ah yes, Dr. Cullen, our new physician. I'm sure he taught you and your siblings well." smiled Mr. Dempsey and my face fell. Of course, Carlisle was supposed to be my dad. Not Edward. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"He did, Sir." replied my father and the teacher nodded and moved on.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I forgot." I whispered after a minute of silence.

"It's alright, love. You didn't say anything wrong. And besides, I'm glad that you're proud of me." he turned and smiled.

"Alright. Now that you've all had a chance to process your marks. Let's begin. Question number one..."

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"Hey, how was chem?" asked Lauren as she turned the dial on her locker.

"Chem? It was okay. We got our marks back from Mr. Dempsey's test,"

"Okay, stop right there." said Lauren. "First thing you need to know about being in public school, no one calls their teachers 'Mr and Mrs so-and-so'. To their face, yes. When they are not around, they're just Dempsey and Pike and Wiseman, et cetera. Got that?" she smiled.

"Okay. _So_, Dempsey,"

"That's better,"

"Handed back our tests and I got a hundred percent on it, but he made us go over the entire thing anyhow." I sighed.

"Ugh, really? Is that what I have to look forward too tomorrow? It's going to be a _long_ first week back," she groaned as she slammed her locker closed. "So, are we going to sit together in English?"

"Uh, I would, but I don't want to leave Bella alone." I explained as I shut my locker and headed down the hall to class.

"Your siblings are all pretty tight, eh? I - I don't mean to offend you, but, well, people are starting to talk." whispered Lauren.

"Really? What are they saying?" I asked, a note of panic in my voice.

"Like, it's not anything bad, or anything. It's not like people are saying that you're all serial killers or something extreme like that,"

I nervously laughed.

"It's just that, you know, people are starting to notice that, well..."

"Well, what?"

"Well... is your brother dating Bella? I mean, your real, biological brother, is he dating your, and his, step sister?"

"Um, _yeah_." I could have died right there. I could tell that Lauren was trying to be nice about it, but I could also tell by the sound of her voice and the rise in her body temperature that she found the whole situation to be very weird and well, redneck.

"Oh. And Emmett is dating Rosalie, and..."

"And Jasper is dating Alice. Yep. That's right." I finished off.

"Oh, well, that's cool, I guess."

"I know, it seems weird, but it's not, really." I tried to explain, "It's not like they're biologically related and for them it just seemed natural to get together since we spend so much time with each other. We've all grown up together."

"Well, that does make sense," she said in what sounded like an understanding tone. "I mean, you're all around the same age. I bet there's never been another family like yours in history."

She didn't know how on the mark she was with that comment. "Yup, we're one of a kind."

"Hmm... in that case, have you ever found your self liking one of your siblings?" she asked innocently.

"No no no no no! Never!" I freaked, a little too much.

She looked surprised. "Really, not ever?"

"Nope!"

"_Really_? Like, you've never thought to your self, 'Man, Emmett is kind of hot'?" I shook my head. "But, just look at him." she said as she nodded in the direction of Emmett who was leaning against a wall, talking with Rosalie. "He's so big, and tall and muscular and,"

"And so much of an older brother to me that it never crossed my mind." I answered, hoping that the topic of conversation would change soon before things got even weirder.

"Huh, I guess. Anyways, enough about that. Say, are we still on for this Sunday?"

"Yup, Sunday at the library. Should be fun."

"Ha! Fun, right. Maybe for you Miss 'I got a hundred percent on my chem test'." said Lauren with a smile as she slipped into English class.

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"We're not seriously starting off with touch football, are we?" moaned Lauren as she followed the rest of the class outside.

"Yes Ms. McGill, we're starting with touch football and volleyball." commented Mrs. Pike. "If you dislike football so much, why didn't you sign up for volleyball?"

"Cause someone convinced me otherwise." grumbled Lauren after she hip-checked me as she walked by.

"Aw, it won't be that bad. Did you really want to be in there with all the girls?" I asked.

"Better then being out here with all the boys!" she whispered. "I don't even know how to play football!"

"It's easy. Just follow my lead, I'll talk you through it. And Emmett will help you too, won't you Em?" I called out.

"Sure thing!" waved Emmett.

"Hmm... maybe this won't be so bad after all." smiled Lauren when she caught Emmett's smile.

Lauren, Emmett and I were placed on the same team against Ben, Jesse and Luke and others that I had yet to learn the names of. I felt bad for the opposing team. Not only did they not like the looks of Emmett, but they didn't look too happy about playing against some girls. As the game progressed, I learned that touch football involved a lot more tackling then had originally been explained.

Mrs. Pike's rules that a tackle was no more than placing two hands on someone, was quickly thrown out the window. The guys were giving it their all and were taking each other down. The only exceptions were when it came to Emmett, Lauren and me. For Emmett, no one got close enough to him to even try to tackle him, and it seemed like Lauren and I were getting hugged, a lot.

I got 'tackled' once by Ben and a few times by Jesse. All of them were awkward.

"Sorry, again, for that." he apologized as he let me go.

"That's totally okay; it's part of the game."

"Yeah, right. Totally. I - I'm Jesse, by the way." He stuck out his hand.

"Renesmee." I shook it quickly and we resumed play.

"I could take him out for you." whispered Emmett in my ear as he jogged to my side. I smiled, "He's only playing the game."

"Sure he is."

The longer we played, the hotter it got. The sun was hidden behind a thick cover of clouds but it was humid like hell. It didn't take long for everyone to start sweating. We took a break after the first fifteen minutes of play, and as people made it to the sidelines, most of the guys began to remove their shirts.

"Renesmee, maybe you were right about this after all," grinned Lauren as she scanned the line up of guys. I on the other hand tried not to look. It felt slightly awkward to be standing so close to so many shirtless boys. I didn't know why. I spent most of my time around Jacob and he tended to go shirtless a lot, but this was different. This was twenty guys whom did not smell like Jacob's scent of brandy, wood and cinnamon but of scented cologne, soap and mint. One of them smelt particularly good.

"Hey, you two can hold your own out there." smiled Ben as he approached us, topless with his toned body glistening with sweat.

Lauren snorted, "I know you're not talking to me, cause I suck. But Renesmee is pretty darn good, isn't she?"

I forced a smile, "I play a lot of sports at home."

"It shows," smiled Ben again. "Ready to start the second quarter?"

"Has it been five minutes already?" I asked, feeling slightly sick.

Turns out, it had been five minutes and when we started up again, I was quickly becoming dizzy. It was like I couldn't keep my focus. I didn't know what was happening to me. My head was spinning with the faces of my classmates. All of them were red faced and hot with thick beads of sweat rolling down their faces and backs and chests. I could pick up the smell of each one of them. It was like I could taste them on my tongue... it was so strong...

"Renesmee, are you okay? You look a little funny." said Lauren as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"What?" I asked as I turned to look at her. She was the only one who didn't look sweaty and tempting, and it snapped me out of my daze a bit. But only a bit.

I could hear each one of their pulses in my ears. Beating hard and fast. Each one of them a strong _thump-thump-thump_ as their hearts pushed the hot, rich blood faster and faster, circulating through their bodies.

"I - I - I need to get out of here." I said as I stumbled away from Lauren and the boys and towards the woods.

"Renesmee, where are you going?" called out Mrs. Pike when she noticed my departure from the field. I didn't stop when she called me. Instead I jogged into the woods and only slowed down when I heard Emmett come after me. I felt his strong hands grab ahold of my shoulders and he spun me around so that he could look at me.

"The scent got to you?" he asked soothingly.

I nodded, shamefully. I couldn't even look up at him, I was so embarrassed.

"Go, get something to eat. Get away from here. I'll run back and tell Mrs. Pike that you came over here to throw up. That the heat got to you. I'll wait for you to come back. Go!"

I nodded once more and took off in the other direction, far away from the school and pounced on the first animal that I saw. I wasn't hungry but the blood tasted so good that I sucked the rabbit dry, and felt much better afterwards. With a clear head, I ran back to where Emmett was and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks, Em, for covering for me. I'm scared to think what might have happened if you weren't here."

"You probably would have gotten over it by yourself. You were strong enough to walk away from the situation once you noticed what was happening. You need to give yourself some credit, you're a tough little girl." he smiled.

"Little girl, Em, I'm almost eighteen."

"No you're not. You're almost seven,"

"Well, I'm a mature seven." I said with a smile.

"Hmph." he snorted and we headed back to the field.

"Feeling better Renesmee?" asked Pike.

"Yeah, I think it's the heat. I just need to sit down." I said with a fake frown and a hunch.

"Emmett, why don't you take her inside to see the nurse."

"Sure thing." said Emmett and we headed inside the school. "Well, looks like we're done early. Why don't you get changed and meet me outside by the car. We can go for a ride in the Hummer until the rest of them get out."

"Sure, I'd like that. Just give me a few minutes. I really need to shower."

"No problem."

I headed towards the girls' changing room and got my clothes out of my locker and hopped into one of the empty stalls. I washed up quickly and just as I turned off the water I heard the voices of Lana and her best friends Kaitlyn and Rachel drifting into the changing room.

"I'm telling you, it's totally weird!"

"Oh please, Lana, are you trying to tell me that you wouldn't hit on Edward Cullen if he was your stepbrother?" asked Kaitlyn.

"Okay... I probably would, but that's besides the point." They all laughed. "They're all together. I mean, I could see if it was just one couple that just 'happened to happen', but all of them?"

"Well not all of them, Renesmee seems single." commented Rachel.

"Yeah, only because there was no other sibling for her to hit on."

"I don't think she'll be single for long... have you seen the looks Jesse's been giving her?" asked Kaitlyn.

"Yeah, whatever. As if Jesse would be interested in her." commented Lana.

"Someone's bitter," said Kaitlyn.

"I don't know... you did break his heart in June. I think he may be needing some TLC." joked Rachel.

"Oh shut it! I'm telling you, I know Jesse. He wouldn't be interested in someone like that."

"Oh really, and why is that?" asked Kaitlyn.

"Cause he's got me stuck on his mind." I could hear the smirk on Lana's face.

"I thought you were over him?" said Rachel.

"I am, but I can't stop him from calling me every night. Late at night."

"Ohhhhh! And what are you two talking about, _late at night_?" asked Kaitlyn.

"I'm sure you can use your imagination!" smirked Lana. The other girls giggled and their voices left the change room.

I stood in the stall a long while after that, pondering on what I had just over heard. _So Lauren was right. The whole school is talking about our family. Great. That's exactly what we need right now. And what was Kaitlyn saying about Jesse giving me looks? Has he been giving me looks?_

I tried to remember the past seventy-two hours. There was the first day when he slammed into the door frame, and I had noticed that at lunch he did seem to be looking in my direction. And then there was the awkward hugging slash tackling that had been going on just minutes ago. But what did that all mean?

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"Hey, what are you doing here? How did you even get in?" asked a perplexed Jacob as he walked into his condo to find me, sitting on the couch watching TV with a bag of carrots in my hand.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind. I came in through the bedroom window." I explained.

"Nice work. I _was_ planning on showering up and then stopping by your place," he began.

"Yeah, I got off of school a bit early and didn't feel like going home. So I thought I'd chill here till you got in. I hope that's alright."

"No problem. I'm gonna hop in the shower. You good?" he asked.

"Mm-uh!" I mumbled with a carrot in my mouth.

I went back to watching Canada's version of MTV, MuchMusic, and it was actually pretty good. Unlike MTV, MuchMusic actually spent the majority of their air time playing music videos. They were doing a countdown of the top ten sexiest music videos of all time. It was enthralling to watch. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

Jacob came in and sat down next to me just as music video number two on the list was beginning. The video started off in black and white with a non-stop flash of images across the screen of a couple kissing and grabbing at each other.

"What are you watching?" asked Jacob. I could tell that he was forcing the annoyed sound into his voice. I could tell by the pound of his heart that he was just as intrigued as I was.

"A countdown of the top ten sexiest videos of all time," I said, almost breathlessly. The images were getting faster and racier, until finally the music started to play and the image was of a couple laying in bed together under the sheets, staring at one another.

"And this is only video number two? I'm scared to think what beat out this." he laughed nervously. "So how was your day?" At that, I grabbed the remote, muted the tv and turned on the couch, cross legged to face him. "Uh-oh, that bad, huh?"

"It was horrible!" I moaned. "First off I got back my chemistry test,"

"And you didn't do as well as you thought you had?" guessed Jacob.

"No, no, I got a hundred percent. _But_ - I almost let it slip that Edward is my dad. And then I met up with Lauren and she told me that the entire school is talking about us. Everyone's all weirded out that Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, and my mom and dad are all dating each other when they're supposed to be step-brothers and sisters! I could have died right there. I could tell that Lauren thought it was weird too, but she was just too nice to say anything." I hid my face in my hands and groaned.

"Nessie, it's not the first time that your family has used that story, you know. People have accepted it before, I'm sure it will be old news in no time." he said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Really? I sure hope so. Cause when I was in the changing room after gym I heard Lana walk in with her friends and they were talking about it too! Oh! And I almost forgot! I almost lost it when playing touch football today."

"What happened?" he asked, his voice slightly panicked.

"Ugh. It was the heat and the sweat and the sound of their blood rushing through their veins. I had to take off in the middle of the game and head for the woods. Thankfully Emmett was there and was able to cover for me." I peaked up at Jacob, "I felt like I could have killed them all..." I whispered. "It was too tempting... it was just too much..."

Jacob leaned forward as if to pull me into a hug but before he could I grabbed his hand with mine and showed him in my 'special' way the way I was feeling. I watched his face twist and contort as he relived my day through my thoughts. When it was done I nearly began to cry in frustration.

"Oh, Babe..." said Jacob as he scooped me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. He held me close and I rested my head on his chest. The sound of his heart was so soothing.

"I'm being silly, aren't I? I don't know why I'm letting this get to me." I frowned into his shirt.

"You worry too much." he said as he rubbed my back. "Say, you wanna grab some thing to eat?"

"Sure, what do you feel like?" I popped up and looked him in the eyes, waiting for a response.

"I can go for whatever. You decide."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

_**Renesmee**_

Things got better after that first week of school. On the Monday we celebrated my seventh birthday. My parents got me the easel I wanted and a large assortment of paint and brushes. Emmett and Rosalie flew with me to Paris, France and we spent the evening at The Louvre. Rosalie and I enjoyed the paintings and art while Emmett trailed behind us and made fun of everything. Jacob took me out the next day for dinner and while we were waiting for our meal he pushed a little blue box across the table.

"It's nothing fancy, just something I made for you." he said.

I opened the box to find a wooden carving of a wolf on a thin gold chain. The animal had a diamond in its eye. "It's beautiful, Jacob." I smiled and allowed him to place the chain around my neck.

As the weeks rolled into October I started to settle into my new life. Jacob was right, the Cullens quickly became old news in Hope. Everyone seemed to accept our family at face value, and if any doubt or questions lingered, they never reached my father's ears. School was getting better too. I got to know Lauren a lot better and she was quickly becoming a very good friend. She introduced me to Canadian indie music and we attended an awesome Mother Mother concert together in Vancouver. Ben was just as nice. Him and Evan tried to get me interested in their Star Trek ventures but failed miserably. Instead they embraced the fact that I was a movie junkie and the five of us, including Julia spent many nights at the local theatre.

Things were working out for Jacob as well. It took Ricky a while before he trusted Jacob to work alone on the imported cars that came into the shop, but by the end of September Jacob was promoted to Ricky's right hand man and was actually in charge of the shop while Ricky spent some much needed alone time with his wife.

Outside of school I had two things that I was devoted too; helping Lauren on Sundays with her physics homework, and crashing into Jacob's apartment unexpectedly.

"You know, you could always use the front door." he smirked when he came out of the bathroom to see me sitting at his kitchen table.

"Where's the fun in that?"

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"I'm so excited for the Halloween dance! First dance of the school year!" smiled Julia at the lunch table.

"Yeah, you're excited for it cause you'll have someone to dance with. I, on the other hand, am dreading it." sighed Lauren.

"Aw, it can't be that bad." I said.

"No, trust me, it _is_ that bad."

"Lauren, don't be like that. She's just bitter about what happened last year." explained Julia.

"What happened last year?" I asked.

"Well, last year Lauren got this awesome witch costume and she had just gotten contacts for the first time. So she ditched her glasses and did her makeup amazingly,"

"I did look hot, that I'll admit." grinned Lauren.

"You did. So hot in fact that Luke asked her to dance." said Julia like it was juicy gossip.

"Yeah, it was great, until half way through the song when he realized that I was me and not Kaitlyn. I was horrified. He pulled away from me, stopped talking and nearly ran off as soon as the song was over. I could have died!" moaned Lauren.

"Wow, that's brutal." I said.

"It was! I felt like shit for the rest of the night. I hate dances. It's all about the couples, you know?" she said to me.

"Actually, I don't. This will be my first dance, ever." I admitted.

"Oh my god, that's right! I totally forgot! You're going to love it, trust me." said Julia. "You have to go into it not worrying about boys. Do that and you'll have a good time."

"Until they play a slow song and you're standing alone. That's when you start to feel like a troll." said Lauren playfully. "Okay, I'll stop now. I don't want to ruin your first dance with my horror stories. So, do you know what you'd like to go as?"

"I dunno. I haven't thought about it." I admitted.

"Well there are many, many things to choose from." said Julia. "May I suggest that instead of going the gross and scary route that you opt for something a little more sexy."

"Sexy? Like what?"

"Hmm... last year I saw a really cute vampire costume with glue on fangs and,"

"Ah - no vampires! No no no!" I interrupted.

"Got a problem with the undead?" asked Julia.

"No, it's just, vampires seem too obvious. I'd like to be something different. What are you going as?"

"I'm going as Catwoman." said Julia with a smile.

"Catwoman? Nice." remarked Lauren.

"Yeah, I've been working on it for a while now. I've got a pleather cat suit that I'll be wearing and little ears and stuff. What about you Lauren?"

"I think I'll take the easy way out. Cleopatra. Wrap a white sheet around me, line my eyes in black and - voila! Egyptian queen in seconds." she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. I know you better than that. She makes it sound like she doesn't care, but you'll see Renesmee, Wednesday night will roll around and she'll be the best dressed Cleopatra you've ever seen."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." replied Lauren.

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"That's it! I can't focus any longer!"

"Shhhhh!" warned someone at the next table.

"Sorry." whispered Lauren. "Renesmee, I can't do this any more. I don't get physics. Can we do something fun? _Please_?" begged Lauren.

"But you were just starting to get it!" I encouraged.

"No, I wasn't. I just happened to guess the right answers. Please, please, please, please, please, let's leave here and get some coffee or something. It's such a beautiful day out there. It's inhumane to be stuck inside on such a beautiful day." whined Lauren.

"Okay, fine. Let's go." We left the library and headed down Fifth street to Cuppa Joe's.

"There's my favorite barista." smiled Lauren as Ben came to serve us.

"Hey, what are you two doing here? I thought you guys were spending another Sunday studying." said Ben.

"Much needed coffee break," I smiled.

"And I thought I was the only one who was bored of studying." said Lauren with a shocked expression. "I'll have an iced caramel latte."

"Oh, I'll have the same. That sounds yummy. But can you make mine with soy milk instead?"

"Sure thing, Renesmee. Say, why don't you guys stick around for a few minutes, I'm due for my first break."

"We'll be outside, soaking up the sun." smiled Lauren as she put on her shades.

We got our iced coffees and headed outside to sit on one of the patio benches. It was such a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the sun was shinning. I was, for once, glad to be only half vampire since my human side allowed me to do one thing my parents couldn't; bask in the warm, inviting sun and not sparkle like a newly polished diamond. Sure my skin did shimmer, but as Lauren had commented before, it looked like I was wearing some kind of sparkly body mist.

Lauren sighed, "This is so nice and also very depressing." She leaned back in her chair and threw her head back so her face could soak up the sun's rays. "You can just feel winter coming. I can smell it in the air. This is probably one of the last beautiful days before it snows."

"Does it snow a lot in Hope?" I asked.

"No, not that much. The mountains get more of the snow than we do, but we'll get a nice blanket of it. It's pretty and all but it's a pain. Winter boots, heavy jackets... I love summer because you can just walk outside your house without having to put on layers and layers of clothes."

We enjoyed our drinks and the sun in silence till Ben arrived. "Man, is it ever nice out."

"Um-hm." replied Lauren.

"I can't believe I'm working today. I shouldn't have picked up the phone this morning. John called in sick so he could go swimming at the lake. I'd love nothing more than to be there myself right now." commented Ben.

"Yeah I think I'll head down to Kawkawa around one. It's just too beautiful to be inside today." I smiled.

"So Renesmee, have you seen the trailer for the _The Good Never Win_?"

"Yes! I saw it yesterday, it looks awesome! I love Clint Eastwood."

Lauren groaned, "Not another action movie. I thought we agreed last time that we'd watch something that didn't involve bullets and ass kicking."

Ben shrugged, "It's not like we don't vote on it. Renesmee just happens to be more of a guy when it comes to movie selection."

"Yeah, Renesmee. You're such a guy!" joked Lauren. We all laughed.

"Renesmee?"

I looked up to see Jacob standing on the sidewalk wearing his standard attire of blue jeans, runners and a really tight black t-shirt. His body was glistening with beads of sweat and his short hair was tousled.

"Hey, I thought you'd be in the library all day."

"We needed to take a coffee break." I smiled as he came closer. "Jacob, this is Lauren and Ben."

"Hey, nice to meet you both. Renesmee's told me a lot about you two." he smiled.

Lauren looked taken off guard, "It's nice to meet you!" she said with a huge smile.

Jacob turned to me, "So, Ness, I was planning on driving down to La Push tomorrow to visit Billy. Think you might want to come?"

"Can't Jake, I got school, remember? And besides, I thought you were watching the shop for Ricky?"

"Ricky's coming back to work tomorrow and he's giving me the day off. I thought I'd head back home and visit the boys."

"How long will you be gone for? Just the day?" I asked.

"Probably, got to be back by midnight or so, so I can get enough sleep for the next day."

"Well, maybe I'll stop by your place tomorrow when you get back so you can tell me how everyone's doing."

"Sure, that sounds like a plan. Well, I better get back to my run. Nice meeting you Lauren, Ben." He gave Ben a little nod which Ben reciprocated, and then took off down the street at a decent pace.

"Well, I better get back too." said Ben as he rose out of his seat.

"Your break's over already?" asked Lauren.

Ben shrugged, "I figure if I take two five minute breaks instead of fifteens, Ed might let me leave early. Talk to you two later."

"Later," called both Lauren and I. The second the shop door closed behind Ben, Lauren exploded.

"HOLY SHIT! Renesmee, you forgot to mention that your 'friend' Jacob is a freaking hottie! Oh my gawd! What is wrong with you? You can't tell me that you're not into him!"

"What? I think the heat is getting to you." I laughed.

"Oh-my-god. You can't be serious," her expression changed. "Are you gay? Like seriously, you must be gay to look at that godly man and not feel a burning between your thighs."

I laughed, "That's a little extreme. I mean... I guess he's good looking."

"You guess? He is fine! What more could you want in a man?" I didn't answer that question because I didn't know how. Instead I sat there quietly while Lauren gave me the strangest looks.

"What? Why do you keep looking at me like that?" I asked.

"Are you seriously not into him?" she asked, sounding like a normal person this time and not a crazed teenager.

"Into him?"

"What I mean is, does he not make your heart flutter like a canary when he's around you?"

_My heart flutters like a canary all the time._

"I don't know." I said defensively. "He's just... Jacob. I've known him all my life. He's my best friend."

"Well, if that's how you feel... you know what I think you should do?" she said with a grin.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"I think you should invite him to the dance."

"I don't think he'd want to go."

"Well you won't know until you ask him, will you? I think it could be cool. He seems like a really nice guy."

"Okay, fine. I'll ask."

19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19

"Seth's doing well. I was really worried about him but it turns out he's got a new girlfriend. He really likes her."

"Any one I know?"

"I don't think so. She moved to Forks about six months ago. Sally Hudson. Really nice girl."

"How did they meet?"

"Seth was in town to pick up some supplies and ran into Sally. It was one of those 'love at first sight' things." Jacob's voice went all funny as he explained it.

"You don't believe in love at first sight?" I asked as I rolled onto my side to face him in the dark.

"Hmm? No, I never said that."

"Yeah, but when you were telling me about Seth, you said it all strange. Like you don't believe in it."

"What are you talking about?" he smiled as he rolled over. "How did I sound strange?"

"I don't know; ignore me. I think my brain's gone to mush lately." I smiled.

"Why do you say that?"

"I dunno. It's just that I'm caring less and less about school and my grades and more and more about my friends and other silly things."

"Other silly things, being?" coxed Jacob.

"Like the dance this Wednesday. It's my first school dance and to make things worst it's a costume party and Lauren's been telling me horror stories about slow songs being played and feeling like a troll cause you have no one to dance with."

"That's a little severe, don't you think?"

"I know, it's stupid. I shouldn't feel bad just because no one asks me to dance. But... what if no one asks me to dance?" I asked horrified. "I don't want to be the only girl not dancing. Standing against the wall all by myself..."

"I doubt that will happen." said Jacob.

"It could! And then I'll be the outcast of the high school Halloween dance. My first dance and I'll be alone for every slow song." I frowned. "And that's why, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah," Jacob said, cautiously.

"Would you be willing to come to the dance this Wednesday? Oh please please please say yes!" I begged.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Really? Just like that? No groveling on my part necessary?" I was surprised. This was too easy.

"Yeah, I'll go. It sounds fun." he shrugged.

"Okay. Well, like I mentioned it's a costume party so make sure you dress up."

"I've got the perfect costume in mind," he smiled.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the late update. I've been away on vacation and I've also been sick, so that's kept me from posting this new chapter. Anyways, enjoy! Hope you like it!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

_**Renesmee**_

"Renesmee, you look amazing!" proclaimed Esme as I made my way, very slowly down the stairs.

"Thanks Esme. This was my vision." I smiled.

"It's beautiful. You definitely look the part." she smiled.

"I had lots of help."

"Yes you did! And the next time you plan on doing something this elaborate, give us more than one day of warning." said Alice from the top of the stairs.

"Yes, please! Though I do have to say Alice, we did a fabulous job." smiled Rosalie.

"Ah yes," said Carlisle as he stepped into the foyer, "More beautiful than the original, and I would know."

"You knew Marie Antoinette?" I asked, astonished.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Her Majesty twice. But I must say, I rather enjoy your more modern approach to the late Queen. Inspired by the movie?" he smiled.

"And haute couture." grinned Alice.

I don't know how I came up with the idea to go as Marie Antoinette, but once I got started I couldn't stop. Thankfully I had Alice and Rosalie to help me pull it all off. My hair was done up in an elaborate high French twist with the odd bronze ringlet hanging down. Rosalie let me to borrow some of her most beautiful pieces of jewelry; a diamond tiara, drop earrings and sparkling bracelets. And the dress was extraordinary. It was a Pnina Tornai ball gown that Alice got the designer to make using pale pink and pale gold fabric. The corset bodice was set with a million sparkling crystals that matched Rosalie's jewelry perfectly and the dress hugged my upper body like a second skin.

(To see a photo of Renesmee's dress, go here: http:/ / blstb. msn. com /i/29/139D6B8767076D9AAA49E985AC78. jpg [Remove the 6 spaces in the link] )

I continued down the stairs and turned into the living room to greet the rest of my family. My mother was smiling from ear to ear and my father looked like he was crying, on the inside at least. I went to him immediately.

"Oh, Daddy, don't be sad. I'm still your little girl." I smiled into his shoulder.

"I'm not sad, love, I'm very happy for you! You're so beautiful." he said as he squeezed me into a hug.

"Aren't you going to get dressed? The party starts in half an hour." I asked.

"We're not going Renesmee." smiled my mother.

"What? Why not?" I asked, pulling out of the hug.

"Jacob's taking you and so I have nothing to worry about. You'll be in good hands, and besides, I thought you'd rather like not having us around for your first school dance."

I grinned and practically threw myself at my mother, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I whispered into her ear. Everyone in the room laughed.

"When will Jacob gets here, I'm dying to get some photos of the two of you before you leave." said my mother.

"He's almost here," said Alice, as she made a face that furrowed her brows. "My vision is getting fuzzier and fuzzier by the second."

"I thought your vision was always fuzzy around me." I replied.

"Hmm? Oh, it got a lot better after your transformation. I still haven't been able to have any visions about you, but the dull headache that I used to experience is long gone. Anyways, I'm going to grab my camera." she smiled and zipped out of the room and back again with the Canon in her hand.

Last minute touch ups were made to my costume. Rosalie helped me put on a pair of four inch heels as my mother walked around me and smoothed out the creases on my dress. I wasn't expecting the door bell to ring so soon and I nearly jumped right out of my dress when it did.

"Nervous much?" smiled Emmett as everyone else ran to the door to greet Jacob.

"A little," I frowned and then grabbed his hand to show him exactly how I was feeling.

"You worry too much," he said and smiled. "I'll bet you a hundred bucks that you won't spend a single minute sitting down."

"Jacob, welcome! You look very handsome." said Esme from the other room.

"Thanks Esme, I had a lot of help from Alice."

"You're very welcome! Come in, Renesmee's in the living room." replied Alice.

I turned around so I could face the entrance way and waited for Jacob to come around the corner. I almost didn't recognize him. He was dressed in period clothing that very much matched my costume. He was wearing a white silk shirt under a maroon waistcoat and a pair of dark brown breeches with white stockings and black shoes. He was also wearing a black wig that was so expertly done that for a second I truly believed that his hair had grown seventeen inches since last night. His 'hair' was combed back and secured with a black ribbon at the nape of his neck. His face was covered with stubble and tuffs of dark brown colored hair were poking out of his shirt sleeves, the front of his shirt and there was even some pasted onto the tips of his ears.

His expression was unreadable for a few moments, until he smiled and did a little twirl and asked, "So, what do you think?"

"A wolf man. That was your perfect idea for a costume?" I smirked, giving him a hard time.

He shrugged as he approached me, "It suits me well, don't you think. Besides, I had a lot of help from Alice. If it were up to me I probably would have just gone in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and bought a mask. But she thought this was more appropriate." He explained as he kneeled on one knee, reached for my right hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Your Majesty." he smirked, his eyes twinkling.

I blushed.

"Alright! What about getting some photos in before you two have to leave?" said my Dad.

"Oh yes, come on Jake. Lets go outside. The sun is setting and it will look so nice." I smiled and grabbed his hand and we lead everyone outside where we stood and posed in front of the house and his car. They weren't very formal pictures, for most of them we ended up making silly faces and at one point Jacob was threatening to morph in order to really capture the feeling of the wolf man but I wasn't about to allow that.

"I think it's time that we go! The dance is going to start in five minutes and we still have a good fifteen minute drive ahead of us." I panicked.

"It's always better to arrive a little late. You'll make a bigger statement that way." suggested Rosalie.

"Rose, you know her better than that. She's too scared that she'll miss out on something to be late." said Emmett.

"Exactly. Alright, I'll see you all later." I smiled and waved and wiggled my way into Jacob's Mustang.

"You really should have let your Dad rent the limo. It would have been a lot easier to get you in and out of the car." said Jacob as he tried to help me into the passenger side without ripping my dress.

"I didn't want to be the only one showing up in a limo. It's just a Halloween dance, after all, not grad."

He sighed, "I guess you're right. There, you're in." He shut the door very carefully and I rolled down the window and waved good bye to my family.

"Don't wait up!" I called.

"Oh you know that we will!" smiled Alice and Rosalie.

"Bye Honey, have a good time."

"I will Mom, love you!" I called as Jacob revved the engine.

We took off down the dirt road that lead to the highway. Jacob turned the radio on low and we sat quietly and listened to the music for a long time.

"So, are you excited for tonight?" he asked.

"Yes. Excited and horribly nervous."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I don't know what to expect."

"You've watched enough movies about high school to know what happens at school dances, I'm sure." he smirked.

"Yeah, I know that people are always getting hurt. The popular girls are always dancing, the unpopular girls always get their hearts broken. The nerdy boys sit around being nerdy and get picked on by the jocks and the jocks seem to rule the whole dance. It's not something I'm looking forward too considering that I'm not part of the popular crowd." I frowned.

"And who's a part of the popular crowd?" asked Jacob.

"Lana and Kaitlyn and Rachel."

"And you don't get along with Lana and Kaitlyn and Rachel?"

"It's not that I don't get along with them, I don't even really know them. They stick together like glue. They don't let anyone else into their little world. Lauren used to be friends with Lana when they were growing up, but Lauren said that Lana did a one-eighty when they reached junior high. She says that Lana got her boobs and ego at the same time."

Jacob laughed. "Boobs and ego... yeah, I can see that. I happens with a lot of girls."

"It didn't happen to me, did it?" I asked as I looked down to see my ever apparent cleavage jiggling around in the corset top.

He laughed again, "No, it didn't happen to you. But that's because you've got a heart of gold and I can't imagine anything as silly as that change you. A lot of human girls are very materialistic. They think that their outer beauty is everything. But guys don't care so much about that. I mean sure, it helps if the girl is good looking, but if she's ugly on the inside, that's all that really matters."

"You seem to know a lot about the subject. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot."

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

He frowned and I immediately felt bad. "Oh Jacob, I'm sorry. Forget I ever asked. I was just curious."

"Hey, it's okay. I haven't had any girlfriends, to answer your question."

"Really? Not one?" I asked, surprised. This was not something Jacob and I had ever talked about before, but that was because I never thought about it before. For the longest time Jacob was like my big brother, always watching over and protecting me. But since my change I felt like our relationship had changed too. Instead of feeling like an older brother, Jacob felt like an equal and a friend. He was still my dearest confidant but I felt like we could now relate to the same things. After all, he was a young man and I was a young woman and we were both going through changes in our lives and it only made sense to talk to him about them.

"Not one." he answered.

"Why not?"

"Well... I guess it's because I've been waiting for the right girl to come along." he smiled as he drove down the highway and turned onto the road that would take us to the school. We got there only a few minutes later and after finding a parking spot Jacob came around and helped me out of the car.

"Here you are, Your Majesty."

"Thank you kind Sir," I giggled and grabbed his arm.

We made our way across the parking lot and inside the school by way of the gym's second entrance. Once inside my worries disappeared. It was amazing how the gym had transformed into a party zone. There were strobe lights flickering, music pounding, people laughing, talking and dancing. It was awesome.

"Oh my gosh! Renesmee, you look hot!" screamed Julia as she ran up beside me and made me twirl around. "Good Lord! Look at that dress. I think you're even turning me on." She joked and pulled me into a hug.

"You look amazing! That suit is like a second skin!"

"I know! Isn't it risky? Pike almost didn't let me in, but I pointed out that she let in Lana and her friends and their skirts are so short that they are leaving nothing to the imagination and she had to let me in then." She smirked and then caught sight of Jacob.

"Oh, Julia this is Jacob."

"Nice to meet you," she smiled timidly and stuck out a hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." smiled Jacob as he kissed the top of Julia's hand. "Renesmee has told me a lot about you."

"Really?" asked Julia, a little breathless. Then she caught sight of Evan. "Hey, Evan! Over here!"

"Renesmee, you look stunning!" smiled Evan as he came over.

"Thanks Evan, you look impressive in your uniform."

"Star Trek," he shrugged. "Couldn't help myself. Hey, where did Ben go? He was right behind me."

"There he is. Ben!" called Julia as she waved across the crowd.

"Oh, hey. I totally lost you back there." smiled Ben as he made his way through the crowd, his cape billowing behind him.

"Nice costume." I smiled and poked him in the shoulder.

The vampire turned around and stared at me blankly for a few seconds, "Renesmee? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me! Come on, I don't look that different, Ben."

"I beg to differ," he said and half smiled as he looked me up head to toe.

"Evan, Ben, this is Renesmee's friend, Jacob."

Evan smiled and shook Jacob's hand. "Nice to meet you. Damn you're big."

"Evan!" snapped Julia.

"What? He's built! It's just an observation. And besides, it's not like it's an insult." said Evan.

Jacob just smiled, "It's okay, I get that reaction a lot. Nice to see you again, Ben."

"Jacob." nodded Ben as he slightly turned away. "Hey, I'm going to grab some drinks. Everyone good with punch?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll go grab that table over there. We need some place to sit while we wait for Lauren." said Julia.

"Lauren's not here yet?" I asked as we made our way to the table.

"No, she's fashionably late, as usual. I'm sure she'll be here soon though." We took our seats and enjoyed the music and the crowd as we waited for Ben and Lauren. Not long after we sat down the crowd parted I spotted Cleopatra walking along side the vampire.

Julia was right, Lauren was the most beautiful Cleopatra I had ever seen. She was wearing a bright white toga made of some fabulous material that draped her body perfectly, with a gold rope tied round her waist, gold sandals, a gold snake arm band and a gold leaf crown on her head. Her hair was still brown but it was smoothed out and lay perfectly framing her face. Her Kohl rimmed eyes popped and her lips were a light cherry red.

Julia leaned across the table and smirked, "What did I tell you?"

"Lauren you look so beautiful!" I smiled and stood up to greet her.

Her eyes popped out of their sockets when she saw me, "Oh my fucking god. Renesmee, you look insane!" she smiled as she twirled me around. "Marie Antoinette, right? Am I right?"

"Yes, you're right." I smiled.

"Wow."

"That's who you are! I couldn't for the life of me figure it out, but I figured, you look so damn good that it didn't matter." laughed Julia.

"Drinks?" offered Ben as he placed the glasses on the table.

"Hi Jacob, how are you?" smiled Lauren.

"I'm very well, thanks. You look lovely tonight."

"You look very handsome your self. Are you the wolf man?"

"That would be me." smiled Jacob from behind me.

"So, when are we gonna dance?" asked Lauren. Before anyone could answer she grabbed mine and Julia's arms and pulled us onto the dance floor. I felt extremely awkward at first. The only time I had ever danced was either classical ballet with my mother in her studio or in my room listening to my iPod. I had never danced to modern music in front of so many people before. I spent the first few minutes just sort of bobbing back and forth in my dress, watching everyone else and seeing how they were dancing.

Lana (dressed as little Bo Peep), Kaitlyn (dressed as Little Red Riding Hood) and Rachel (dressed as Snow White) were dancing in a circle by themselves. Their hips swayed to the beat of the music and occasionally they would shimmy down low or raise their arms over their heads. I tried to mimic them but the dress wouldn't allow much give and so I just continued to bob side to side to the beat. Lauren, Julia and I weren't alone for long. A few other girls joined us and our circle expanded. I checked out a few of the other costumes that people were wearing. I would have to admit that no one's was more elaborate than mine. Actually none of them came close. There were a lot of girls dressed as witches and guys dressed as vampires. As I was dancing I had a few people approach me and comment on my costume, but I had even more envious stares.

We danced through eight modern, fast paced songs before the first slow song came on. For a second I experienced a moment of panic as I heard the rhythm of the music slow and the crowd of girls dispersed and singles became couples in a fraction of a second.

I felt my heart jump up into my throat and for some stupid reason I felt like I might cry when I felt a hand gently touch my bare shoulder.

"May I have this dance?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

_**Renesmee**_

"Yes, you may." I replied and let Jacob step forward and pull me into his arms.

"Here, place your arms around my neck, if you can reach." he directed my hands behind his head.

"I can reach." I smirked and clasped my hands together. "And where will your hands go?"

"Around your waist, like this." He smiled and let them fall into the curve of my back.

"And now what do we do?"

"We sway," he said and began to gently move from side to side.

"Seems easy enough." I smiled and moved along with him.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" asked Jacob.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes. Ben and Evan are nice. They've been keeping me company while you girls dance."

"That's good. Oh my gosh, where's Lauren? She's not alone is she?" I asked, panicked as I searched the crowd.

"Relax, she's dancing with Ben over there." said Jacob as he nodded behind me with his head. I craned my neck around to see Lauren and Ben, holding each other much in the same way Jacob and I were, swaying slowly around. To my surprise, they weren't talking at all and both of them look slightly uncomfortable together.

"That doesn't look good... they're best friends and they're not even talking to one another." I commented.

"Hmm... well, you know, not everyone likes to talk when they're slow dancing." said Jacob.

"Is that your way of telling me to shut up?" I frowned.

He laughed, "No, I like it when you talk. I was just saying..."

"Oh..." I sighed and rested my head on Jacob's chest. It was actually really nice; swaying to the music, not saying a word. I was a little disappointed when the song ended but before I could really think Lauren came bouncing my way and we started dancing to some more upbeat tunes.

"I love this song!" shouted Lauren.

"Yeah, it's great." I shouted back.

"Hey, Renesmee," called Julia as she grabbed my arm and spun me to one side, "Jesse has his eyes on you! Straight ahead!"

I looked straight ahead and locked eyes with Jesse, standing tall and dressed in a bloody football jersey, fake blood splattered on his face, hair all messed up and dirty looking. When he caught my eye he smiled and waved and then disappeared into the crowd of dancing people.

"Did you see him?" asked Julia.

I blushed, "Yeah, I saw him."

"Thought so. Anyways, I'm getting tired. I think I'm going to sit for a bit."

"What? Where are you going Julia, you can't be tired already." frowned Lauren.

"Sorry, but these Catwoman heels aren't very friendly to my feet. Grab the guys to dance." she suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." smiled Lauren. "Come on!"

We followed behind Julia as she headed over to the table where the boys were sitting. "I think it's time you boys join us." smiled Lauren.

"But you're having so much fun on your own," reasoned Ben.

"Yes, and think of all the extra fun we'll have once you join us," pushed Lauren. "You'll come and dance, won't you Jacob?"

"Sure, why not?" smiled Jacob as he stood up. Ben watched him stand and then rose himself.

"Fine then, you talked me into it."

Lauren stuck her tongue out at Ben and then grabbed Jacob's hand and headed back to the dance floor. It was fun dancing with the guys. They had some pretty great, and seriously silly dance moves. At one point the DJ played a very sizzling latin beat and I watched as Lauren's hips moved side to side to the beat. The way she moved drew the attention of all the boys around her and for a moment I cursed my self for wearing such a large and puffy dress.

"Alright guys and girls, we're going to slow it down now..."

"Jacob, will you dance with me?" asked Lauren.

"Uh, sure... I'd love to," said Jacob as he stepped forward.

"Renesmee?"

"What?" I turned, distracted by the sight of Jacob and Lauren.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Hmm? Oh... Ben... sure." I smiled and tore my eyes away from them and placed my focus on Ben.

"That's quite some dress you've got there," he smiled as we swayed to the music. "It looks amazing on you."

"Thank you Ben, you look pretty amazing yourself." I smiled and snuck a glance at Lauren, laughing and talking with Jacob.

"No, really, I mean it. You look beautiful tonight."

"Really?" Some thing about the way he said those words made me forget about all about Lauren.

"Yeah, really." he smiled and pulled me closer. "Are you having fun tonight?" he asked in a deep, soothing voice.

"Yes. Are you?" I gulped down my increasing nerves.

"I am now." he grinned and then grabbed my hand and allowed me to do a little spin on the dance floor and float back into his arms.

"Wow... you're a great dancer."

"Thanks. I took some dance classes when I was younger. They were my mother's idea. I've forgotten most of it but at least I've still got my rhythm." he smirked. There was something about the way he was acting that reminded me of Jonathan and that night in the woods. _Maybe it's because he's dressed as a vampire... from a Anne Rice novel... No, that's not it... Why does he suddenly look so different? ... I've never seen Ben look so... so... I mean, his smile is sparkling in the spinning lights... and why does he keep looking at me like that, like I'm the only girl in the room? Maybe I should ask Jacob about this. He knows more about this than I do._

I glanced at Jacob and felt a stab of heat shoot down into the pit of my stomach when I saw Lauren with her head resting on Jacob's broad chest. I don't know why but I had the sudden urge to pounce on her. The only thing that made the pain in my abdomen feel somewhat bearable was the fact that Jacob was looking at me and Ben with a look of bitterness on his face. Moments later the slow song ended, only to have another start right up. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Hey, Benjamin. Mind if I take Renesmee for a twirl?"

"Uh... sure... no problem..." said Ben, disappointed, as he let go of me.

"Would you like to dance?" asked Jesse.

"Uh, sure. I'd love to." I forced a smile and stepped forward. I placed my hands on his shoulders and Jesse placed his hands around my waist. One thing quickly became clear: Jesse was not as good a dancer as Ben. In an attempt to dance me around the room he managed to step on my feet a total of twelve times, none of which hurt but I was growing increasingly worried about my poor shoes.

"Why don't we just stick to swaying back and forth?" I offered as politely as I could.

"Sure, sounds like a good idea. I guess I'm just not used to dancing with some one..."

"So big?" I offered.

"Yeah! I - I mean - you know - the dress is big. Not you. You're not big at all... that's not what I meant." he stuttered.

I smiled, "It's okay. I understand..." We swayed back and forth in silence for another minute. I tried extremely hard not to look at Jacob and Lauren but it was like the second I took my eyes off of the ceiling there they were, smack in the middle of the crowd, her arms tightly locked around his neck, looking more like she was holding onto him for dear life than dancing with him. _Honestly, does she have to be that close to him? She just looks silly... I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so... And who dances with someone two songs in a row?_

"So, zombie jock?" I forced a smile and put all my strength into not looking away from Jesse's face.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, that's me. Really original, right?" he smiled. "This was actually Luke's idea. I copied him."

"Well you look the part." I grinned.

"Thanks. Hey... I was wondering, if maybe..."

"There you are! I've been looking for you!" smiled Lana coyly as she pulled Jesse's shoulder away from me.

"You've been looking for me?" asked Jesse, disbelieving.

"Yes! Of course I have! Oh hi, we haven't officially met. I'm Lana and this Rachel and Kaitlyn."

"Hi." I smiled softly and let go of my hold on Jesse. It seemed like the right thing to do since Lana was beginning to pull little Miss Bitch-Fit. I recognized such a thing after years of living with Rosalie.

"Lana, what do you want?" asked Jesse, annoyed.

"I want you, silly! Luke's outside getting the car. We're all heading down to Ricard's for some spooky Halloween fun." she grinned.

"Ricard's? What's that?" I asked.

"It's this old house off of highway number 12. It's supposed to be haunted and there's a legend that says if you run around the building three times screaming "Old man Ricard, come out, come out!" his ghost will appear." Explained Jesse with skepticism in his voice.

"You talking about Ricard's?" asked Lauren as she approached us. "It's a big waste of time. There's no ghost. It's just an urban legend to scare the elementary kids with."

"And who asked for your opinion?" said Lana as she turned to face Lauren. That's when she caught sight of Jacob; tall, dark and brooding in his perfectly fitted costume.

"Oh, hello... You're new to town aren't you? My name's Lana." she smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Nice to meet you." replied Jacob softly.

"This is Jacob." I said, as I took a step towards him and linked my arm around his.

"Your boyfriend Renesmee?" questioned Rachel.

"No, Jacob's just a friend of Renesmee's," replied Lauren as she grabbed onto Jacob's other arm.

"He's a close, family friend." I said defensively and rested my head on Jacob's shoulder.

"Oh, I see." commented Lana as her eyes bounced over the three of us. "Well Jesse, you coming?" she asked, smiling, before she spun on her heel and headed towards the exit. Jesse looked crestfallen. He thanked me for the dance and followed behind Lana and the girls. We watched as they headed out the gym door.

"Well, that was awkward." said Jacob as he shrugged out of both of our grips.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. That's just Lana for you. She can't be helped," smiled Lauren. "Jacob, would you like to grab some punch?"

"Uh, actually I think I'm going to head outside for a breath of fresh air."

"I can come with you! You know... to keep you company..." offered Lauren as she batted her eyes.

"Actually... I'm going to make a phone call, so, it's probably better if I just go alone. It's kind of a private call."

"Oh... well, okay than! Renesmee, you still feel like dancing?" she smiled.

"Actually, my feet are sore. I'm going to sit down." I frowned and headed for the table. Julia greeted me with a quizzical expression. "What was that about? I saw the way Lana interrupted your dance with Jesse."

"Meh, whatever. He wasn't that great of a dancer anyways." I caught Ben's expression when he heard those words. He looked slightly elated.

"Come on you guys! Let's dance! The night is young!" cheered Lauren from the dance floor.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming." sighed Julia as she got up out of her seat. I waited and watched as Julia met with Lauren on the dance floor before I headed for the back door.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Ben. "Aren't you going to sit a while?"

"I'm going to get some fresh air. I'll be right back." I replied and nearly ran to the door.

The crisp, cool autumn air felt so good against my face and bare skin. The sky was completely clear and full of twinkling stars. The closed gym door behind me did poorly to mute the pounding music that was coming from within the gym. I slowly made my way across the parking lot to Jacob's parked Mustang. There was Jacob, dressed in his 18th century attire, leaning against the side of his car, deep in thought.

"Mind if I join you?" I grumbled as I approached him.

"I was hoping you would come," he smiled.

"Really? Are you sure you weren't waiting for someone else?" I jeered.

"What? Like who?" he asked, confused.

"Oh I don't know, maybe Lauren?" I scowled.

"Lauren?" he repeated, with a frown. "What is up with you Renesmee?"

"Nothing's up." I shrugged. "I just saw how much you enjoyed each other's company, that's all." I blurted and crossed my arms over my chest.

Jacob cocked his brow, "Right... and the fact that I was 'enjoying Lauren's company' had nothing to do with the fact that I thought you two were best friends and I was just trying to be nice to her." He shot me a look that left me slightly confused. It was a cross between a smirk and a frown. It left me feeling a lot less confident about myself and got my heart fluttering.

"I... It didn't look that way to me..." I murmured.

"Oh really? And what did it look like?" he asked as he pushed himself away from the car and stood just inches away from me. My heart began to pound in my chest as I stared up and into Jacob's brooding face with his dark features and stunning eyes.

"It... it looked like something else..." I swallowed.

"Something else..." he repeated and ran the back of his hand along my cheek.

"Yes..." I breathed, heavy and full.

"Hmmm..." he hummed as he stared down at me. I was locked in his gaze; I couldn't look away. His face was framed against the beautiful back drop of the starry sky. Even in the night I could make out the flakes of gold in his eyes. With out thought I raised a hand and let my finger tips gently trace the features of his face... his brow bones... his cheek... his jaw line... his lips...

"Jacob..." the words left my mouth on their own.

"Yes...?" he breathed.

"I... I... I love this song..." I sighed as the music from within the gym morphed into Kissing You by Des'ree. I could easily make out the soothing rhythm and I felt my heart melt and relax.

"Than we should dance," he smirked and grabbed a hold of my waist, lifted me into the air and spun me around. I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck as my body soared. He then placed me gently down on the pavement and we began to sway to the muted music. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, pressing my body up against his. I rested my head on his shoulder. It was hard to tell who's heart was beating faster, mine or his.

"So what is this song called?" whispered Jacob.

"Kissing you..." I replied.

"It sounds beautiful..." he repeated in a deep, tranquil voice. I lifted my head from his shoulder and stared into his eyes. There were so many emotions in his face. I saw lust, happiness, sorrow and longing; I felt all of those things my self. It suddenly became hard for me to breath. My corset felt tight, really tight and as Jacob's hands traced up and down my back my breathing only quickened. I unlocked my hands and cupped the back of Jacob's beautiful head. The extensions and his real hair all felt like one. I fingered the soft mane and scratched his scalp with my finger nails. I could see in his eyes that he enjoyed that, he was nearly panting in excitement. I wanted to kiss him! I wanted to feel his soft lips pressed hard against my own. I wanted his hands to continue to caress my back and the thin lace corset that was covering it. I wanted him to grab me into his strong, solid arms and hold me even tighter! I wanted to -

"There you are! Oh!" gasped Julia as she and Lauren stopped in there tracks. "Oh my god! I'm sorry! So sorry! I didn't know you two were, you know, out here - together - and wow! Um, we're - we were just, you know - uh..." stumbled Julia, looking completely embarrassed. She smiled slightly and then grabbed Lauren's hand and dragged her back to the gym without another word. I had caught sight of Lauren's shocked expression. I thought the sight of Lauren with her jaw to the ground, seeing Jacob and I in such an intimate stance would make me feel happy inside, but it made me feel horrible. I wanted to run after them and tell her that I was sorry, but what was I sorry for?

"Oh no!" I moaned and pulled away from Jacob. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" I cried. "How could I do that? Oh my god! She's so hurt and it's all my fault!"

"Renesmee, calm down, nothing's your fault." Soothed Jacob as he tried to pull me into a hug. I pushed him away.

"No, it _is_ my fault. You saw her face! She's heart broken. She obviously likes you! And now she hates me!" I cried and dropped my head into my hands.

"Renesmee, you're over reacting. Come on, babe... don't cry, every thing's okay."

"Okay? It's not okay, Jacob! She's never going to talk to me again! She probably hates me! My first real friend and now she hates me!"

"Ness, look at me," he coaxed, "What ever feelings Lauren may or may not have towards me have nothing to do with you. You got that? If she has feelings for me than that's between me and her. Okay?" he stated, sternly.

"Okay," I moaned and nearly started to bawl. Was this his way of telling me to butt out of his personal life? _Oh god I can't hear this!_

"Good. I mean, you can't go feeling bad just because she has feelings for me that I can't reciprocate."

"You, you can't?" I asked, between tears.

"No, not at all."

"But, she looked so pretty tonight and you danced with her for two whole songs."

"I danced with her for two songs because that guy Jesse beat me to the punch in asking you, and she had quite the grip on me. And as for her being pretty," he lifted my chin and stared into my wet eyes, "She may be pretty, but you take my breath away."

"Really?" I whispered, as I snorted back my sniffles.

"Always." he assured me and smiled. "Come on, I'll take you home."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

_**Renesmee**_

"Okay, I've got the hot chocolate, the popcorn and the cookies. Oh - and I've got Kleenex! So tell me! Why did you come home with makeup running down your cheeks?" asked Alice, worried and fearful as she plopped herself down on the bed beside me. I sighed and continued to dry my hair.

"I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Yes, I know. That's what you said when you walked in the door, but I'm not going to back down on this. I'm worried about you," she insisted. Instead of answering I played with the hem of my pajamas. "Can you at least show me?" she asked, frustrated.

"Fine." I grunted and grabbed her hand and relived the evening. I showed her everything, every embarrassing detail, and when it was over, she looked slightly cheerful.

"It looks like you had a good time?" she smiled.

"A good time? Hello! Did you not see the parts where I wanted to rip off Lauren's head and ended up making her cry?"

"Well, yes, I saw that, but all in all..."

"All in all I ruined my friendship with Lauren!" I snapped. "God, why doesn't anyone seem to understand that?"

"Renesmee, you didn't ruin anything. Jacob's right, you're not responsible for Lauren's feelings or the fact that Jacob doesn't like her."

"I know that!" I moaned, "I really do, but knowing that doesn't make me feel any better. I just wanted it to be this perfect night. My first dance... I wanted it to be special..."

"And it wasn't?"

"Far from it." I pouted.

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't know... I just... I didn't expect to feel so confused..."

"Confused?"

"Yes! That's exactly how I feel." I got up off the bed and paced the floor. "Seeing her with Jacob... I nearly lost my mind, and I don't even know why! It was like there was this heat inside of me, deep inside, that kept growing and growing, bigger and bigger and it engulfed everything! All I could see was them! And I hated it; hated it with every cell in my body. And then later when she saw us together, she looked so hurt and that was even more confusing. A part of me was happy and gloating, but a bigger part of me felt horrible." I threw myself back down on the bed.

"Are you done?" asked Alice, kindly.

"Done?"

"With the pity party?"

"I guess." I replied, shocked and hurt.

"I'm not trying to be mean, Renesmee, but you're not seeing all the good stuff that came out of tonight," she smiled, "You experienced your first dance! You danced to some great music and had a good time with your friends. Sure, there were a few awkward moments, but all in all it was a good time. You got to slow dance with three guys tonight! One of them being Jacob. How was it?"

"It was great." I admitted and smiled softly.

"Just great?" she pushed.

"I don't know." I shrugged and blushed.

"I think you do know," grinned Alice. "Renesmee, he told you that you take his breath away! Didn't that have some kind of effect on you?"

I blushed even harder, "Yes, it did! But that only adds to the confusion! Alice, what does this mean?"

"I don't know." she replied, honestly. "That all depends on you and how you feel about him."

"How I feel about him? Alice, he's my best friend!"

"Obviously I know that."

"Okay... so?"

"So?"

"So?"

She laughed, "So obviously you have a lot to think about before you head off to bed." she smiled and got up. "Good night Renesmee. Sweet dreams."

"Night," I sighed and allowed myself to fall backwards onto the cool sheets. Alice was right, I did have a lot to think about. Like what I was going to do tomorrow morning at school. _Do I apologize? Is that the right thing to do? But what would I apologize for? "Sorry that my best friend, who I've known for years, likes me and not you." I mean, really, is it any big surprise that Jake would like me over Lauren? He's known me for years! Ever since I was a baby, and even before that he was my mother's friend. It only makes sense that he would have feelings for me over Lauren, he just met Lauren! And the way she was throwing herself on him! What was up with her grabbing a hold of his arm when Lana was around? He's _my_ friend!_

"Ugh! This is so stupid!" I groaned and rolled over. "Tomorrow I'm just going to go to school and act like nothing happened." And with that, I turned out the lights and passed out.

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"Hey, Renesmee!" called Ben down the hallway.

"Hi." I smiled and cringed on the inside as I watched him walk towards me.

"You left early last night. Was everything alright? You didn't say good bye." he smiled and leaned himself against Lauren's locker.

"No, everything was good. I was just really tired and Jacob was sweet enough to take me home." I avoided his gaze and busied myself in my locker. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, not really. Though they did give the prize for best dressed guy and girl."

"Oh? Who won?" I asked, curious.

"You did."

"What? I won? I didn't even know there was a contest."

"It's nothing big, they do it every year for the Halloween dance. They name the best dressed guy and girl and then give them a treat bag full of candy and chocolate. I think Julia has your prize."

"Wow, that's kind of cool. Who else won, though? Who was the best dressed guy?"

"Some kid in tenth grade. He was the one wearing the working chemistry set." smirked Ben.

"Oh, yeah... I think I saw him last night. He was the one with the five foot radius of clearance. I think people were scared that he was going to blow up." I laughed.

"I know that's what I was thinking." laughed Ben. "Hey, I'll catch up with you later, okay? I've gotta meet with Amy and talk to her about our project." He smiled and headed down the hallway.

"So far, so good." I muttered to myself as I dug through my locker for the rest of my stuff. Once I had everything I did a sweep down the hallway but didn't see Lauren or Julia. I headed for my first class feeling slightly frustrated. I had had every intention on meeting up with Lauren first thing in the morning, but it looked like I would have to wait till lunch till I saw her next.

Time was laughing at me. As I sat through my classes it was like the clocks had all stopped working. _It has to be nearly lunch time... Oh my god - two more hours! I can't wait two more hours! How did only five minutes pass by?_

Thankfully Jasper was with me in my last class before lunch. The second he walked in the room I felt a wave of calm reach me and it was like I could breathe again.

"Renesmee, are you alright? I could sense your tension from out in the hall."

"Yeah, I'm good. Just a little nervous." I half smiled.

"You're more than a little nervous," frowned Jasper, and another strong wave of calm crashed down on me. "Just relax Renesmee, everything will be fine." He took his seat next to me and rubbed my back.

By the time class started, everyone was so relaxed, including Mrs. Marks, that we all decided that what we needed to do in that hour was take a nap, and by nap I mean that everyone placed their heads on the cool table tops and closed their eyes. Only a few actually fell asleep, I wasn't one of them. But in that hour of silence and relaxation I was able to think clearly.

The noon time bell rang and people slowly made their way for the door. Jasper's wave of calm evaporated as we rose out of our seats and headed out of the classroom. "Will you be alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I smiled and made my way to the cafeteria. Once down stars I grabbed a tray and got into line. Today's lunch special was Chef's Salad or Shepherd's Pie, I grabbed a salad and a bottle of water and headed for our usual table.

"Hey, there you are! I was looking for you this morning!" smiled Julia as I sat down beside her. "Look, you won best costume last night!" she grinned as she passed me the bag full of candy. "Too bad you weren't there to claim it for yourself, but I guess you were up to something more important?" she asked as she raised her eyebrows excitedly.

"Yeah, about that... can I ask you something that you promise to keep just between us?" I rushed, trying to get some questions in with Julia before everyone else showed up.

"Yeah sure, shoot." she said looking serious.

"Is Lauren mad at me?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"She's not mad, or if she is, she hasn't said anything to me. She has nothing to be mad about. If anything, I think she feels a bit, well... stupid."

"Stupid? Why?"

"Well, you know. She thought that you and Jacob were just friends."

"We are just friends."

"That's not how it looked last night. But it's not your fault. She told me that she felt dumb for throwing herself at him the way she did. She said she felt stupid for thinking that she had a chance with him."

I sighed, "So what do I do now."

"You don't do anything. Well, except maybe don't mention Jacob for a while. But you know, if you do want to talk about it with someone, you know, if you want to share with someone about what you two did last night..." she smirked and I blushed.

"Trust me, after you guys left that was it. Nothing more happened."

"Really? I could have swore he took you home for some lovin'!"

I was shocked, "And why would you think that?"

"Renesmee, seriously? Are you that slow? Why can't you see what everyone else sees? You said that he was a close family friend, right?"

"Yeah."

"Who left his family back in Washington to come and live here with you and your family? Normal guys don't do that. Especially ones that are twenty something year old, hot and sexy, Native American gods. Most guys who are that age are too busy making money and going out to bars and clubs. And trust me, I know. I over hear a lot when my brother is back from university." she cringed slightly. "But Jacob moved here, to a strange city in a new country to be with you and your family, and he's always there for you, emotionally and physically... come on, girl, you've got to see where I'm going with this..."

I couldn't speak, because honestly, I was seeing where she was going with this, but before I could say anything, Lauren and Ben were making their way to the table.

"Hey! How's it going?" asked Ben.

"Good." smiled Julia as she began to eat her salad. I started my salad too but watched Lauren out of the corner of my eye. She looked to be okay. A little quieter than I was use to, but okay all the same.

"How did things go with Amy?" I asked Ben, trying to end the silence.

"It was good. Turns out she had run into the same problem with the sulfur as I did, but she had worked it out so we're back on track. How's your project going? Have you and Edward run into any problems?"

"Not yet. Every thing's running pretty smoothly." I nodded and avoided his gaze. I just couldn't admit that the project that the rest of the class was stressing out on, the one that wasn't due for another month, was already complete in entirety and standing in a spare bedroom, and had been that way since the night that the assignment had been given to us.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." smiled Evan as he took a seat. "Hey Renesmee, where did you run off to last night? One minute you were there, and the next you were gone."

"I was pretty tired, and Jacob was nice enough to drive me home." I kept my eyes down and on my plate.

"I guess you already know that you won best female costume, eh?" he smiled and nodded at the bag of candy.

"Yeah, Ben told me this morning. I was really surprised. Here you guys, have some. There's no way I can eat the whole bag." I pushed the bag into the centre of the table, Evan opened it and inspected the goodies inside.

The rest of the lunch hour pasted by in much of the same fashion. Here and there someone made some kind of small talk, but for the most part we were all quiet and munching on candy and chocolate, our lunches forgotten.

"Well I better get going, I don't want to be late for Holzmann, he likes to lock his door right at one o'clock, so if you're late, you're shit out of luck." commented Ben as he stood up.

"Hey, Julia and I will go with you. You got everything? Want me to hold something?" asked Evan.

"No, I'm good. See you guys!" called Julia as she rushed away.

"Bye!" called both Lauren and I. It felt awkward, just the two of us alone and I was trying to think of something to say when, thankfully, she spoke first.

"Renesmee? I just wanted to tell you, well... I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" I asked, relieved.

She gave me a sheepish look, "You know... for last night. The way I was all over Jacob and how I ran off crying when I saw you guys together in the parking lot."

"You were crying?" I asked, feeling worse.

"Yeah, I was, but that's not the point. I totally overreacted. I knew that you and Jacob were close to begin with but... I don't know... the other day when we were having coffee outside of Cuppa Joe's, you told me that you weren't into him and so I figured, if you weren't into him than maybe I had a chance."

"I'm sorry about that Lauren. I wasn't lying to you at Cuppa Joe's, I was being honest. Things with Jacob and me just sort of happened last night... even I don't understand it." I frowned.

"Do you think we can just forget about how I acted? Never mention it again?" she asked with a smile.

"Sure." I smiled in return.

"And, if you want someone to talk to, I'm here for you. I'm still your friend. You can talk to me about Jacob if you need too."

"Thanks, but I don't really have anything to talk about at the moment. I just have a lot of thinking to do."

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I went to bed that night feeling a lot better than I had the night before. I was much more relaxed now that I knew that Lauren wasn't mad at me and that she was okay with the whole Jacob thing. I guess that's why I had the dream. I've never had a dream like that before in my life. The kind of dream that is so real that you wake up feeling like you're still in it. I dreamed of Jacob kissing me in my Halloween dress as I caressed the back of his head and his beautiful long hair. The kisses were sweet and passionate, hard and soft at the same time, and his hands caressed my body. The more we kissed the more feverish we became. Soon he was tugging at my dress... he pulled my head back and planted soft kisses along my jaw bone, down my neck and on the tops of my breasts. I could feel the heat rising in my body, the lust was growing inside of me like a fire that couldn't be tamed. We were both panting and kissing and moaning and grabbing and it was good and fun and exciting.

I don't know what it was but something pulled me suddenly out of my sleep. I was gasping for air and the cool night breeze that was coming in from the open french doors hit me in the face like a hard smack that tried to pull me into reality, but I didn't want to wake up. So I blinked a few times and nestled myself under the warm sheets. It was apparent that I had been tossing and turning in my sleep, the blankets were a mess and so was my hair. But there was also something else. I had a moment of panic as I placed a finger in the body of liquid that was nestled in between my legs. I raised my finger to my nose and smelt it, and to my relief, it wasn't blood, but what was it?

It smelt sweet and a bit salty, and most surprisingly of all, it was arousing. The smell was alluring. It made my privates tingle and I reached down and felt that my panties were soaked. I removed my underwear and brought them to my face for another smell. The smell was strong and it sent another powerful wave of tingles down to my privates. I abandoned my underwear and went straight for the source. I had never really touched my vagina much before. It was never something that had occurred to me, unless of course I was bathing. Carlisle and my father had taught me all about the female body and so I knew that the tingling hot button over my labia was called a clitoris and that the slippery liquid that was streaming out of my vagina was natural lubrication. I also knew that I was supposed to have hair down there, as well as underneath my armpits and legs, but because I had gone through puberty in such a quick amount of time, it left me free of any obstruction.

There was something about the way the lubrication allowed my fingers to slip and slide over the folds that made my head spin. Images of Jacob came racing back in my mind, like the sight of him in his towel... bare chest showing, beads of water glistening on his deeply tanned skin... the way he looked at me as he stood there... that little smirk that dancing across his face... my dream about us kissing and groping each other...

The more I thought the more I felt like I was drowning in pleasure. It felt so good! My body was convulsing, my hand was moving on it's own. I was panting in ecstasy! And then, suddenly it was like I was being taken under by the waves. My entire body got hot and then there was this great sense of release and my hand was soaking wet. I lay in bed for quite some time afterwards as I tried to slow down my breathing. That, and I had no desire to move. But after a few moments I did get out of bed and I went to the bathroom to wash up and then headed outside on the deck. It was almost morning and the animals were slowly waking up from their slumber. I went back into my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and went out to hunt. I was craving the taste of sweet, warm blood so badly that it made my head hurt.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

_**Renesmee**_

I avoided Jacob for a long time after the night of the dance. I wanted to see him, I really did, but I was much too scared. Things were complicated now. I was now aware that Jacob had some sort of feelings for me. What those feelings were exactly, I wasn't sure. Some seemed to think that he was into me, like boyfriend-girlfriend into me, and that was enough to send me into a panic. I had never had a boyfriend before and so I didn't know what would happen next. Also, just because Alice, Lauren and Julia thought that Jake's feelings were boyfriend level, didn't mean that they really were. For all I knew he was just pitying me at the dance and what happened at the end was just a one time thing.

Secondly, the fact that I had spent the last ten nights masturbating in my bedroom to thoughts of Jacob made things weirder. What would it be like to see him again? Would I just cream in my pants the second I laid eyes on him? Would I jump on him like a crazy woman and scare the crap out of him? I couldn't risk it. I needed to get some sort of control over myself before I saw him again.

Just because I hadn't seen him in person, didn't mean that I hadn't spoken to him. I called him every night before I went to bed. There was something about his voice that soothed me and made me feel content. Every time he asked if he could see me I told him that I was busy with homework and he believed me. After all, come tomorrow morning and I would be on my way to Whistler for a week, so it was understandable that I had to catch up on all my school work now. But Jacob should have known better; I had completed all my work days ago.

At the moment I was walking up the steps to Lauren's eighteenth birthday party. I was excited but also nervous. This would be the first time I'd be in a human's home. My father warned me about this, he told me that the smell of Lauren and her family would be amplified times ten considering that this was where they lived and spent most of their time; he wasn't kidding.

The front door opened and a strong, enticing smell came spilling out of the house. I gulped and smiled, "Happy Birthday!"

"Hey! Oh my god, come in! It's freezing out there. Come, come!" waved Lauren. I took my last breath of clean air and stepped inside. The house was nice, much smaller than my own but very nice. It had a Canadian country feel about it. The walls were painted a warm cream color and there were wood accents every where along with red plaid. It felt like I had just stepped into a cozy cottage. I was very impressed.

"Wow, this is a lovely house. It's so cozy and warm."

"My mother will love to hear you say that." smiled Lauren. "She put a lot of work into this house, many sleepless nights and blah, blah, blah. Come on, I'll introduce you to my family."

I followed behind Lauren as she lead me through the house and into the family room. There I met her parents, her grandmother, aunts, uncles and some younger cousins. After a few moments of greetings and some small talk Lauren lead me upstairs.

"I hope that wasn't too bad for you."

"No, your family's great." I smiled, sincerely.

"I begged my parents to let me have two separate parties, one for just family and one for friends, but she wouldn't let me do it. Oh well. Here's my room." she smiled and opened a door that lend to a room that looked nothing like the rest of the house. The walls were painted a deep shade of purple and the bright white trim around the windows, closet and floors really made the space look modern. There were posters that were pinned up on the walls of bands like Mother Mother, Metric and Muse. Her bed was a twin size that was covered in purple and gold sheets, there was a small desk against the wall that was covered in books and papers and there were some large pillows that were scattered on the floor to act as extra seating. All in all, it was a pretty awesome room for a teenager and I was severely jealous.

"Hey," smiled Julia who was sitting on a pillow next to Evan. Ben was also on the floor, and I was about to sit next to him when I realized that that wasn't a very good idea considering the length of my dress. I sat on the bed instead.

"You all ready and packed for tomorrow?" asked Julia.

"I packed this morning but I still feel like I'm forgetting something. What do I have to bring again?"

"Just the standard stuff. Hat, mittens, scarf, jacket, boots, general stuff to keep warm. And then regular clothes for when we're not get physical, and then toothpaste and toothbrush,"

"That's what I forgot, my toothbrush."

Lauren smiled, "Don't want to forget that."

"Though you did for get something even more important." smiled Ben.

"What's that?" asked Lauren.

"A picture of Evan and I, so you don't miss us too much when you're gone."

We all laughed. "Yeah, don't want to forget that one." commented Lauren.

I had a good time at Lauren's party. We spent most of the time up in Lauren's room while her family stayed down stairs. The cake was delicious and her presents were mostly cards with cash expect for mine and Julia's. Julia got her a fancy jewelry box with her name embossed on it. My gift made her scream.

"Oh my god! Renesmee, is this seriously for me?"

"Do you like it?"

"Like it? It's an iPhone! What's not to like!" she freaked.

"And the best part is is that I got it hooked up for you so it's all ready to go. You can take it with you to Whistler."

"Wow, that's so awesome! Thank you so much!" She hugged me tightly. "Mom, here - take a picture of us." smiled Lauren as she passed her phone to her mother. The five of us posed for a few photos, some serious, most just silly, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" said Lauren as she bounced to the door. "Hi!" I heard her say from the front entrance. And then I heard a voice that made my heart skip a beat.

"Happy birthday! I hope I'm not crashing the party, but I was hoping to speak with Renesmee." said Jacob.

"No, no, you're not crashing at all. Come in." said Lauren as she lead Jacob through the house. "Everyone this is Jacob, Renesmee's friend. Jacob, this is my family." smiled Lauren.

"Hello," waved Jacob with a smile. "Sorry to intrude, but I just wanted to stop by and wish Lauren a happy birthday. Oh, and I got you something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.

"Oh, thank you." smiled Lauren and she tore open the card and read it.

"What is it honey?" asked her mother.

"It's a gift card for iTunes. So I can get stuff for my iPhone." she explained, "Thanks Jacob, that's very nice of you."

"You're welcome." he replied with a smile and then glanced my way. Lauren caught the look too, "Well, I'm just gonna give my Mom a hand with the clean up and say good bye to my guests, so you guys feel free to head up to my room, or you know, whatever." She smiled and then paused as she passed me to whisper, "He wants to talk to you!"

"Oh?" I acted surprised and followed Jacob as he headed for the front door. The hallway wasn't long enough. There wasn't enough time for me to get my feelings under control, especially since he looked so good in his leather jacket, black shirt and dark blue jeans. And when he stepped outside and into the sunlight, I was mesmerized at how his skin looked intensely warm and golden. I rushed to slip my flats on and ran to keep up with him. He had reached his car by the time I got to him.

"Hey! Jacob," I grabbed his arm and he turned to look at me. His brows were furrowed and his expression looked grim. "What's wrong?"

"Are you avoiding me?" he asked.

"What? No, why do you ask that?"

"Come on Renesmee, I haven't seen you since the night of the dance. Did I... did I scare you or something?"

"No, you didn't scare me... I was just... there was a lot going on that night."

"I know that, but things with you and Lauren seem to be okay, so I have to wonder why I haven't seen you."

"I told you, I've been busy with school and home work,"

He gave me a disbelieving look and I shifted uneasily on the pavement.

"You're a bad liar."

"Am not. You're just an exceptionally good lie detector." I blushed.

He snorted, "Yeah, maybe." He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the car. At that same moment a gust of cold autumn wind picked up and rustled my baby doll dress. I shivered and wrapped my arms around me. "Didn't you bring a jacket with you?"

"What, and ruin my look?" We both laughed, "I'm not cold, it was just a shiver."

"Sure, sure." He removed his jacket and wrapped it around me. It felt so warm and it smelt like him. "So were you planning on seeing me at all before you took off to Whistler?"

"Yes... I just, needed some time."

"Time?"

"Well, you know... to process what happened on Halloween."

"And how's that going?" he asked.

"Uhh... honestly? I-I don't know."

"You don't know?" he repeated.

"No..."

"What exactly are you confused about?" he asked as he bit his lip.

"Ahhhh..." was all I could say. I was now staring as his plump lips, wondering what they really tasted like. "Ahhh... you know... stuff..."

"Stuff." he repeated with a smirk.

"Yup. Stuff." I gulped.

"Is there some way I could help you? You know, figure out this stuff?" he asked in a low, sultry voice. _How did I suddenly end up so close to him? When did that happen? How was I suddenly looking up at him and into his big, beautiful eyes?_

"Um..." was all I was able to get out. It happened so sweetly, the way he raised my chin up with his hand, the way we both puckered and close our eyes at the same time, and the kiss it's self was nice and soft and sweet. It was a great first kiss. If only it hadn't been ruined by Lauren's family leaving the house.

"Good bye! See you guys soon! Happy birthday again! Take care!"

"There goes the moment," muttered Jacob and I laughed and hugged him. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" he said as he squeezed me tight. He kissed the top of my head and I let go and watched him get into the car and drive off. I pulled his jacket tightly around me and sniffed his sweet scent before I made my way back to the house.

"Hey, how did it go?" asked Lauren with a smile when she caught sight of Jacob's jacket.

"It was good." I blushed and turned to hide my face.

"Come on, you have to tell me! And remember, we were going to forget about that horrid night. I'm your best friend! I _need_ to know!" she giggled.

"We kissed!" I whispered and she shrieked.

"How was it?" she asked as she put down the dishes she was holding.

"I don't know! It was good, I guess."

"You guess? How did it compare to the other guys you've kissed?"

"What other guys?"

"Oh come on, you've probably had like, what? At least seven boyfriends in your life?"

"Ha! Try none."

"None?" She looked absolutely shocked. "Wow... I just always assumed that you had dated before... you're so drop dead gorgeous. Anyways, so was it good? Was it hard and passionate or soft and sweet?" she coxed.

"Definitely soft and sweet." I smiled.

"And that made you feel...?"

"Even more confused." I admitted.

"What's there to be confused about? You're hot, he's hot - you two should be together!"

I laughed, "Ah, so that's how it works, huh?"

She laughed in return, "Alright, what do I know about relationships anyways? It's not like I've ever been in one. So, are you going to see him tonight?"

"I don't know. He told me that he'd call me on the phone. That's all he said before he left."

"Hmm... well, make sure you tell me all about it on the ride to Whistler tomorrow. Julia and I will need some juicy gossip in order to stay awake."

23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23

"Alright Renesmee, let's go over this one last time."

"Dad, seriously, I got it. Can I just go?" I moaned.

"Renesmee," he said in his fatherly tone.

"Alright, alright. Alice and Rosalie are staying at the Hilton hotel in room two seventeen. Both of them will have their phones on at all time. If I need anything I shouldn't hesitate to ask them or go to them. I am to stay vigilant at all times. I am to have fun but not too much fun because if I have too much fun then I may get into trouble because I will not be vigilant enough."

"I didn't say those things." frowned my father.

"No, but you implied them." I muttered as I folded my arms across my chest.

"I just don't want you to get hurt Renesmee," he sighed.

"Dad, I won't get hurt. I'm half vampire for crying out loud! I'm nearly indestructible!" I argued.

"Okay, okay! You're right. Have fun, love." he smiled.

"Bye Dad. I love you." I smiled and got out of the truck. "See you in a week!" I waved goodbye and headed towards the bus with my bags. There was a line up of students along the side of the bus. At the head of the line up was Mrs Pike; she was making notes on a clipboard and was constantly counting those of us who were in line.

"Renesmee!" called Julia from midway down the line. I went to them. "Hey, you made it! I was worried you weren't going to come!"

"Yeah, my parents got a little sentimental. I've never been away from them for a whole week." I admitted and Lauren laughed.

"Tell me about it. I got the lecture this morning from my 'rents. The only way I got here on time was because I told them that the bus was leaving at five in the morning, not six, and I just got here half an hour ago." She rolled her eyes, "What's taking so long? It's freezing! I don't understand why we can't just wait on the bus."

"They're not letting anyone on?" I asked.

"No, I think they want to do a quick check through our bags before they let us on the bus." said Julia. She was right. Moments later Pike and another teacher, Mr. Harvey, began letting students on the bus, but not until they searched through all of the bags.

"What are they looking for?" I asked.

"The regular stuff. Booze, drugs, porn. That sort of thing." answered Lauren.

"And who would be stupid enough to bring that on a school trip?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised." said Lauren.

"Mr Fitzpatrick, what is this?" asked Mrs Pike at the head of the line.

"I believe it's called a beer, Ma'am."

"Seamus, you do know that you are not allowed any alcohol on the bus."

"Wasn't aware of it." he said with a shrug.

"I can't let you take this on the bus. You either toss it here and get on, or you can stay here and enjoy your beverage."

"Alright, alright. Huck the damn thing, it's not like I can't get more once we're in Whistler." he muttered as he grabbed his bags from the gym teacher and got on the bus.

"Like I said... you'd be surprised." smiled Lauren as she shook her head.

Everyone else got on the bus without incident. Lauren and I took a seat together and Julia sat in front of us. Most of the students on the bus wasted no time before they popped their music players in their ears and passed out. As the bus took off for the three and a half hour trip, the three of us girls were much too excited to sleep and instead talked the entire ride.

"So, what's happened last night with Jacob, Renesmee? Lauren told me that you guys kissed out side her house."

"Yes... we kissed, but it wasn't anything big. And I still don't really know what it means."

"What do you mean, 'You don't know what it means'? It means that he likes you." said Lauren.

"Well, that's what I thought, but the way it happened and then the phone call after wards..."

"What happened with the phone call?"

"It was the same as any other phone call. Hi, how are you? Good, you? I'm good. Long pause. Are you excited for tomorrow? Yes." I frowned, "He didn't mention the kiss at all. It was like nothing happened."

"Maybe he's just... shy." offered Julia.

"Jacob's not usually shy about anything."

"Yeah but this is different, you know. I mean, how does he usually act with his girlfriends?"

"He's never had one."

"Seriously? He's never had a girlfriend? Am I the only one who finds this hard to believe?" said Lauren. "Are there a lot of ugly people in Olympia?"

I laughed, "No, there's not a lot of ugly people in Olympia."

"Well then what's you guy's deal? I mean, not to bring up a sore subject, but all your "siblings" are hooked up with one another and you and Jacob are hot and neither of you has dated anyone... one does tend to wonder..." said Lauren.

"I don't know! Is it really that weird that I've never had a boyfriend? I was never into boys, until very, very recently. I didn't think about them at all! That sort of thing never crossed my mind."

"It crossed my mind when I was twelve years old." admitted Lauren. "I swear, I went boy crazy when I was younger. My mom found me one day in the bathroom crying and cutting my hair because the guy that I thought I was in love with said that he liked girls with short hair. She quickly grabbed the scissors away from me and sat me down and we had a big talk about hormones and puberty and why I was suddenly feeling this way about boys. It was scary and I hope to god that if I have any daughters, that they aren't as crazy as I was."

Julia laughed, "I remember when I first started to notice boys. It was like I couldn't stop looking at this one guy, Mark, I mean, now I look back and I know that he was nothing special, but when I was younger it was like he was sent from heaven or something. And when Evan and I first got together it was really scary but also fun and exciting. I actually broke up with him twice just so we could get back together again because the getting back together part was so much fun. I know, that sounds horrible, but it's true. There's just something wonderful about getting together with someone for the first time. It makes you glow on the inside... makes you feel the happiest you've felt in your whole life, like you're walking on air."

"Oh god, please stop! You're making me feel so lonely!" joked Lauren and we all laughed.

We continued to talk about boys, or should I say that Julia and Lauren talked while I listened. It turned out that Julia was no longer a virgin and that Lauren had had a summer fling last summer with an older guy that lead to a whole lot of kissing and groping. I was enthralled by their conversation. They had both had so much experience with guys, and to hear that they had been into boys at such a young age seemed so strange to me. But then again, I was only seven years old. And until recently, I had looked like I was twelve years old. But I always felt like I was so mature for my age. I never felt like a seven year old; I always felt so much older. Everyone who knew me told me that I was mature for my age too. But hearing these two girls talk about boys in this way... a part of me wanted to cover my face a blush, but another part of me wanted to hear more.


End file.
